June
by RedestRose
Summary: -FINISHED- June Parker is perfect in everyone's eyes. Perfect grades, perfect family. . . But all of that changes when June learns something that will change the relationship with her family and friends forever. 3rd in Four Month mini series
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
Mom always said that was intelligent from the beginning. I ran around in my play pen, organizing my toys and trying to read the tiny story books that they had bought me. I learned my ABC's when I was ten months old, and my first word was, "Book."  
  
I had worked my hardest in my childhood for the best grades possible. Never had I ever achieved anything lower than a B on my report card, and even then I was disappointed in myself. I should have done better, I would remind myself.   
  
I usually never had any friends because of my intelligence. They all thought that I was strange, and awkward, so they avoided me. And I didn't mind much. That only meant that I had more time to focus in class. But every once in a while, I would get lonely and wish for company, but I had no one to go to.   
  
Mom said that I had inherited my intelligence from her side of the family, whereas Dad says that I got it from him. It didn't matter much to me; I was just smart, that's all that mattered to them.   
  
I wasn't in very many academic clubs or sports clubs either. If it was, it was the math club, or Band.   
  
But then, I entered middle school. And that was hard, I must admit. You were scrutinized for everything you did, speak, or show as you were in your classes. Girls made fun of me and wrote their little preppy notes; Boys were dared to take me out to dances. And it wasn't because I was ugly. If I do say so myself, I am a very attractive girl, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a perfect body.  
  
Somehow or another, I lived through middle school, and even came out with some friends along the way. Then high school came upon me, and it was the biggest rush of my life. More challenges, people. . . But my freshman year was the most exhilarating.  
  
For the first time in my education, boys were actually making contact with me. They weren't thinking that I was a walking cranium, I was actually pretty to them. But of course, they found someone else to take their fancy. And I started to get more involved. I joined the track team, made many more friends, and started to dress more so that it would flatter my figure more.   
  
Years had gone by, and now it was my high school graduation. The last few days of school. I was voted miss perfect to most, miss petite, miss beautiful, and valedictorian of my class. I walked around the school with pride, holding my head high as the boys flocked around me, talking their nonsense.   
  
And for once, I was having the best time of my life. 


	2. Chapter 1

Subj: June Chap one-please upload ^^   
  
Date: 1/21/2004 6:46:59 PM Pacific Standard Time   
  
From: ScarlettB689   
  
To: Heavenlyjaystar   
  
  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"You may open your test booklets and begin," Miss Durham announced, and I eagerly flipped open the booklet and grabbed my pencil and began. Other students looked around the room, as if the answers were glued to the wall, but I kept my eyes confidently on my last qualifying exam. I whizzed through it, knowing every answer to every question. I finished first. I stood up, hoping that no one would notice, and as usual, all of the eyes were on me. I fixed my uniform skirt; A light blue plaid skirt with a white polo shirt with the school's name embroidered under my right shoulder. I dropped the booklet and the test paper in the basket and returned the pencil. Miss Durham looked at me with pride as I sat down again, and rested my head against the desk, planning to catch a little more sleep. I hadn't gotten much the previous night; I was too nervous to sleep. I drilled myself, remembering Shakespearean terms and literature terms as I tossed and turned.   
  
Before I knew it, the class was over, and everyone was gathering their books and leaving. I grabbed mine in a hurry and followed Cassandra Leigh and Lilly Brooks, my two best friends, out of the class.   
  
"How did you do?" Cassandra asked. I looked away.   
  
"I'm guessing that's a good," she muttered. Lilly tittered.   
  
"Man, I completely forgot all of the stuff that I had studied for. I hope I don't fail," Lilly exasperated. I shook my head.   
  
"You won't. Trust me," I said.   
  
"OK, in that case, I won't fail." We all laughed.   
  
"What's your next exam?" Cassandra asked.   
  
"AP Calculus. I'm really dreading that one," I mumbled. They both frowned.   
  
"We wish you luck," Lilly replied, placing her manicured hand on my shoulder. I sighed and leaned against the brick wall, clutching my books to my chest. Cassandra and Lilly decided that they were going to get something to eat, and they offered me to come along, but I refused and decided to take a short walk before having to go back to class.   
  
I walked around campus for a while, occasionally saying hello to some of my acquaintances and keeping my eyes low to the ground. Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I slowly spun around to see Andrew Louis staring at me, his eyes dancing.   
  
"Hello, Junie," he said sweetly. I sighed.   
  
"It's June. Hello."  
  
"Let's walk and talk, shall we?" He asked, slinging his heavy arm around my shoulders, pulling me along.   
  
"What is it that you want, Andrew?" I asked dully. He flashed me a smile.   
  
"Well, I was wondering. . . " he drawled.   
  
"I don't have all day," I sang after a long pause.   
  
"Come to prom with me," he blurted. I stopped walking and looked at him.   
  
"It's basically an offer you can't refuse," he said, throwing his hands in the air.   
  
"Andrew," I said, shaking my head. "You're a really nice, attractive guy, but I don't think it would work between us," I said, starting to walk away. He groaned.   
  
"Aww, come on June. Don't be such a brain." I spun on him sharply, and he flashed me a weak smile. "Please." I exhaled and shrugged.   
  
"I don't know. I'll think about it," I replied as best I could, and his smiled widened.   
  
"It's gonna be great, you're not going to regret it," he said, sweeping me into his arms and brushing his lips against my cheek. I pushed him away. He pulled me close against him. "Maybe we'll have a little fun afterwards," He whispered. I shoved him away, and scurried off.   
  
"What was that all about?" Lilly inquired from behind. I turned around.   
  
"Andrew Louis wants to go to prom with me," I recited. They both smiled coyly. "What?"  
  
"Well, well, well. It seems June Parker is growing up," Cassandra said in a sing song voice. I rolled my eyes.   
  
"I didn't even tell him that I was definitely going with him. I told him that I would think about it," I said. They caught up with me and walked by my side.  
  
"Well, he is kind of cute," Lilly said. "You know you want to."  
  
"Enough!" I cried. "Drop the subject." They both looked at each other. "This is my stop. See you later," I muttered and walked into the building.   
  
The exam went harder than I thought. I ran my fingers through my hair angrily, chewed on my pencils, and tapped my fingers on the desktop. Somehow, it all passed in a blur, and I finished first, again. I almost hated being first. Everyone either envied me, or wanted to see my test. I dropped it in the basket and sat down, resting my elbow on the desk and propping my head up, waiting for this to be over with.   
  
Finally, the bell had rung, and I leapt out of the class, just wanting to go home.  
  
I had to walk home; my expedition was in the shop being repaired. I walked on the sidewalk, enjoying the breeze from the spring air. I heard soft footsteps from behind me, but I ignored them, just thinking that it was one of the kids that lived in the neighborhood. The footsteps got quicker and quicker, until someone had placed their hands on my shoulders, and I screamed and spun around, ready to attack.  
  
"Andrew," I growled, slapping his hands away. He wore an impish smile on his perfectly rosy lips.   
  
"Thought about it?" he asked.   
  
"At this rate, if you don't leave me alone, I'm not going to go!" I shouted.   
  
"Oh come on, you're no fun," he whined. I shot him a glare and continued walking. "Just tell me yes and I'll leave you alone!"  
  
"Good-bye Andrew," I called and turned the corner, leaving him standing there.   
  
I was still undecided whether or not I should go with him. He was nice and cute, and smart. I shrugged and entered the house.   
  
"Mom, Dad! I'm home!" I yelled, shutting the door and hurrying up the stairs. "Hello?" I opened the door to Daddy's study, and looked around.   
  
"Daddy!" I cried, running into the office. He laughed and smiled.   
  
"June." He hugged me and I smiled. "How was school? How did your qualifying exams go?"  
  
"They were great," I said. "I think I did pretty well."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Where's Mommy?"  
  
"She went to the grocery store," he replied. "Go up to your room and put your things down and relax. You've had a long day," he suggested. I nodded and went up into my room to put my backpack down and started to tidy up my room. I sat down on my bed and wrote in my diary.   
  
  
  
Today was very interesting, I must say. Andrew Louis asked me to prom. I didn't think it would ever happen, but it did.  
  
He keeps bugging me about it though, and he will not leave me alone. After school today, he even followed me home to   
  
ask if I was going to go with him. At this rate, I'm not going to if he doesn't leave me alone.   
  
My qualifying exams went okay, although, once again, I was the first to finish them, as usual. My English test went very   
  
well; the additional studying before bed helped a lot, but caused me to lose a lot of extra sleep that I could have used.   
  
My AP Calculus test was quite challenging; I never expected it to be that difficult. But all in all. I know that I will definitely pass.   
  
I put my diary away in my secret place and went downstairs to get something to eat. Mommy had arrived, unloading groceries and bags from the trunk of the Mercedes.   
  
"Hello June," Mommy said. I went outside into the driveway and helped her. She sat down for a moment. Brian, my little brother, walked in with one grocery bag.   
  
"Eww, it's you," he snickered. I darkened my eyes at him and turned to Mommy.   
  
"Thank you," she breathed. I nodded and went to the pantry to unload.   
  
"How were the exams?" she asked, fanning herself with her hand. It had become hot today; hotter than normal in Colorado Springs. She joined me to stock the pantry.   
  
"OK. I'm pretty sure that I did well," I explained to her. She smiled.   
  
"Good. Where's your father?" She asked.   
  
"Up in his office," I replied, and she headed upstairs.  
  
"I bet you did bad," Brian whispered to me.   
  
"Shut up and do something constructive."  
  
"What's that mean?" He asked. I rolled my eyes and finished stocking the pantry and went up to my room to call Lilly and Cassandra.   
  
"So, did you tell Andrew that you wanted to go to prom?" Lilly asked. I groaned.   
  
"When will you guys stop asking? I don't know yet!" I nearly screamed.   
  
"OK, don't have a cow. I was just asking." I rolled my eyes.   
  
"So tomorrow's the big day, eh?" Cassandra said randomly. I shivered with excitement.   
  
"It is. I can't believe it. Senior year is over!"  
  
"Yes! Finally, no more school!" Lilly cried.   
  
"That's not true for June," Cassandra argued back.   
  
"Yes, Little Miss priss is going to Harvard," Lilly sang. I remembered they day that I received the acceptance letter. I was rejected by other Ivy league colleges, but Harvard said that I had something special about me.   
  
Mommy came back from the mailbox, and as usual, I demanded to know if any letters had come. She sifted through the mail, most of them bills, and pulled out a letter with the Harvard address on it. I chewed on my lip, glanced at Mommy, and neatly tore the letter open. I scanned it quickly, and jumped up and down. I had been accepted.   
  
I returned back to reality. "So what?" I replied casually. They both laughed.   
  
"I bet you would just die if you didn't have more schooling," Cassandra giggled.   
  
"So what if I like school?" I barked.   
  
"Whoa. We've irritated Miss Priss. What should we do now? Quiz her on the presidents?" Lilly asked. They both cackled with laughter.   
  
"You guys, stop," I mumbled.   
  
"Oh, she's asked us to stop. We better, don't want her to start crying," Cassandra squealed, and they broke out into a peal of laughter. I grew very frustrated, so I slammed the phone down.   
  
All of my life, I had tried to hold down some friends. Always, if I had made an intelligent comment, I would have been mocked and teased. The phone ran, and knowing that it was them, I decided to ignore it. I went downstairs and went to see what we were going to have for dinner. Daddy was in the living room, Mommy was in the kitchen flipping through her cookbooks.   
  
"What are we having?" I asked as I took a seat at the counter. She shrugged. Brian was in the backyard, playing with his GI-Joe action figures.  
  
"I don't know yet. How does pork chops sound?" I nodded and went into the living room where Daddy was watching the news.   
  
"Anything interesting?" I inquired as I plopped down next to him. He shrugged.   
  
"Same old news. Murder, robbery, fraud," he muttered. I nodded.  
  
"The hearing of 29 year old man concluded today when the Jury found Michael Peterson guilty of Murder in the first degree. Michael's girlfriend, Leah Garold, was found shot in her apartment almost 9 months ago. The evidence concluded Peterson was the killer and did indeed confess. Leah Garold's family lawyer, Rick Parker, proved the case and gave the Garold family, justice."  
  
"That's me," Daddy said proudly and grinned. I heard my phone ringing endlessly upstairs in my room. Mommy looked at me.   
  
"June, why don't you answer the phone?" Mommy asked. I blew air through my lips.   
  
"Because it's Lilly and Cassandra."  
  
"Why aren't you talking to them?" She replied.   
  
"Because, they were teasing me because I was going to Harvard and all they wanted to do was go out and party," I mumbled.   
  
"Well, you know, true friends would stick up for you instead of tease you," we both chanted, me joining along in mid sentence. She glared at me.   
  
"Just pick up the phone," she pleaded, stirring the sauce she had in a pot. I marched up to my room and answered the phone.   
  
"Hello?" I answered gruffly.   
  
"C'mon June, we were just teasing you. Stay, talk," Cassandra pleaded.   
  
"You know, true friends would stick up for you instead of tease you. I have to go. Dinner's ready," I snapped and slammed the phone down. I wasn't one to hold grudges, but those two had made me very mad lately. It probably had to do with graduation, I thought to myself as I marched downstairs again. Mommy looked at me but didn't say anything. I sat down next to Daddy on the couch and watched the rest of the news before dinner was announced. Brian came in from the backyard, and we all hurried to the dining room.   
  
"Brian, you could at least clean yourself up before dinner," Mommy suggested. He shrugged.   
  
"I'm not that dirty," he said, brushing off dirt on his pants. Mommy commanded him to wash his hands, and he went into the sink and did so. He came back, and we said a quick grace and served our meals.  
  
"How was school Brian?" Daddy answered.   
  
"Boring. I don't learn anything." I rolled my eyes. By the time I was nine, I had my multiplication tables memorized. Daddy looked agitated and Mommy looked unhappy about his rude comment. He picked up his fork and slurped his spaghetti.   
  
"Brian, don't slurp," Mommy snapped. He made a face at her when my parents weren't looking.  
  
"What time is graduation tomorrow night?" Mommy asked.   
  
"8:00. Please don't be late," I pleaded.   
  
"We won't be, don't worry," Daddy bragged. I sighed and sipped my water. We had an awkward pause, and Brian broke the silence with his belch.   
  
"Brian!" Mommy shrieked.   
  
"Sorry," he mumbled.   
  
"After your finished, you're going straight to your room. No desert." He groaned.   
  
"Aww, but we're having chocolate cake," he whined. Mommy gave him a stern look and returned to her meal. I was the first to finish, washing my plate and putting it in the dishwasher.  
  
"I have to work on my valedictorian speech," I announced to the family, and stormed up the stairs and up to my room to pull out my speech.   
  
I had been working on it since I had found out that I was nominated. I pulled it out, and started to proofread it.   
  
Ladies and Gentleman,  
  
It seems that 12 or 13 years ago, your son or daughter was getting   
  
on the big yellow school bus for their first day of school. You waved  
  
good-bye, standing on the curb and thought to yourself, this is a day you will remember forever.  
  
And now it is that time again, but not to say good-bye to leave for school, but to say hello to a new journey that will come upon us.   
  
When I was just starting junior high, I never thought of my future.  
  
I never thought of the day that I was going to graduate high   
  
school and go on to college at Harvard. But here we are, the day   
  
of graduation. Now most of us are thinking, what is next?  
  
For myself, I will go on to college, hopefully master in Law,  
  
and go on to start a life on my own. And that will be the same   
  
for most out here. And at our 20 year reunion, we'll be the same  
  
people possibly, remembering the great times we had here back at  
  
Marland High school.  
  
I will never forget my experiences here at Marland. The people,  
  
the teachers, the events. All of this will be locked in my heart  
  
forever.   
  
And now as I end this speech, think to yourselves, it's not the  
  
end, it's the beginning of a beautiful independent world.   
  
I revised it as best I could, and figured that it was the best that I could do to it. Brian stormed through the door.   
  
"Whatcha doing?" He asked.   
  
"Get out!" I shrieked. Can't you knock?"  
  
"What's that?" he cocked his head to the side.   
  
"Get out!" I repeated more forcefully and got up to push him out, but he saw that as a threat and started running away. I slammed my door and locked it to ensure that he wouldn't enter again. I changed my clothes and wrote in my diary one last time for the day before my phone rang. Without knowing who it was, I answered it.   
  
"Hello?"  
  
"June. Hi there," It was Andrew. I sighed.   
  
"Andrew, please," I pleaded with him. "I'll give you an answer soon."  
  
"C'mon June. I need to know now."  
  
"Fine! Fine!" I cried. "I'll go. Only if you stop nagging me." I could feel the warmth of his smile from the other end.   
  
"Excellent. You're going to have the greatest time." He hung up the phone in his excitement. I sighed, wondering if I had done the right thing. I got ready for bedtime, and my parents came in to say goodnight.  
  
"Goodnight June. See you in the morning," Mommy said, kissing my cheek. I hugged her and walked over to Daddy.   
  
"Goodnight. Good luck tomorrow," He whispered in my ear. I smiled and crawled into my bed. They smiled at me before turning off my light.   
  
"We're very proud of you," Mommy said softly, and shut the door. I pulled the covers close to my chin and I closed my eyes for the last night before the last day of high school. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
In the morning, I was so excited to get to school. I showered quickly, dressed and had breakfast, remembering every last minute. Brian was very excited too, but it was only because he didn't have to go to school until September. He ran around the house, screaming, "No more school!" Mom quieted him and I walked out to the car. My Expedition was still being repaired, and I needed a ride to school. Brian and Mom hurried out of the house and to the car. Mom let me drive today.  
  
"Mom, I'm so excited!" I cried, pulling out of the driveway.  
  
"Mom, I'm so excited," Brian mimicked. I reached behind him and slapped his cheek. He started whining.  
  
"Brian, stop. Or I won't let your friends come over tonight," Mommy threatened. He stopped yelling and glanced outside the window. I smiled at Mommy as Brian's elementary school came up.  
  
"See yah! Wouldn't want to be yah!" he cried as he jumped out of the car. I looked at Mom helplessly.  
  
"I'm sorry about that. He's only nine," she muttered. I pulled away, and there was a silent pause between us.  
  
"I can't believe it's my last day," I mumbled under my breath. Mom grabbed my hand.  
  
"June, don't think of it as your last day, think of it as one of the best days of your life," she advised. I nodded and pulled up to the school. I looked at Mommy and hugged her.  
  
"Have a good day," she said, and I hurried out of the car, practically running into the school. Lilly and Cassandra were standing by their usual spot. I stood by them and waited for them to end their conversation.  
  
"Why didn't you call us back yesterday?" Cassandra snapped. I gave her a questionable glare.  
  
"I bet if you were me, you wouldn't have called back either," I retorted. Her eyes darkened, and she looked ready to hit me, but Lilly sprang into action and stepped between the two of us.  
  
"Cut it out. Cassie, it was no big deal." Lilly turned to her and Cassandra settled down. Suddenly, someone's hands were on my hips and lifting me up, spinning me around and making my skirt flare out.  
  
"Andrew!" I hissed when he put me down. He laughed and lightly pressed his lips to mine.  
  
Jolts of electricity riveted up my spine. My first kiss! On the last day of school! I saw fireworks behind my eyelids, bright lights. He pulled away, and smiled, a look of content on his face. I was off in dreamland.  
  
"Hi," he greeted.  
  
"Hi," I blurted back. I was still in shock. Cassandra and Lilly both had identical smirks on their faces.  
  
"What are you doing after school today?"  
  
"Um, nothing," I replied.  
  
"Why don't we go out for an early lunch?" I nodded. "Well, I got places to go, people to see. Talk to you later?" He placed his hands on my slender hips and kissed me again. More electric jolts up my spine. He smiled, ran his fingers down my cheek, and walked away. I turned to Cassandra and Lilly, and started squealing with excitement.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" I cried. "He just kissed me." Their smiles were broad and welcoming. I jumped around and sighed.  
  
"This has to be the best day of my life!" The bell rang, and we headed to the auditorium to practice for the graduation rehearsal.  
  
I couldn't keep focus during rehearsal. All I could think about was my first kiss, rewinding it in my brain over and over again. Cassandra slapped my shoulder.  
  
"What?" I asked, returning to reality. She raised her eyebrow at me.  
  
"Pay attention," she hissed. It was time to make my pretend speech, and I walked up onto the stage and stood at the podium.  
  
"Shall I give my actual speech, Miss Durham?" I asked. She nodded from behind the side of the stage, and I went to retrieve my actual speech from my backpack. I was shaking already; I was just about to give my speech to about 500 people, but there would be an even bigger attendance tonight. I slowly went back to the podium and a thick silence fell over the crowd. I took a deep breath and began.  
  
I don't remember looking at the crowd. I kept my eyes glued to the lined piece of paper and waited until I was finished. I paused, said my last sentence, and listened as the crowd of seniors roared, cheered and applauded. They soon started to stand up and yell as loud as they could. I smiled, laughed and walked back to my seat. Andrew couldn't come up to me and congratulate, but I could feel that he was saying it all in his smile. I plopped down in my chair and slouched purposely, my cheeks turning bright red.  
  
"You were excellent!" Lilly and Cassandra cried in perfect unison. We all giggled and watched as Miss Durham waited impatiently until the crowd had settled down. I sighed.  
  
After the rehearsal, there was a "get together" with music and food in the gym. Cassandra and Lilly begged me to go, and I reluctantly gave in, being dragged along to the gym where the music was blasting. My ears began to ring, but I got to used to music. I watched as everyone danced and someone tapped my shoulder. I spun around and it was Andrew, smiling broadly.  
  
"Care for a dance?" He asked.  
  
"I can't dance!" I shouted back over the roar of the music. He grabbed my hand.  
  
"C'mon, it's easy!" He cried. He pulled me into the middle of the room and stood there. "C'mon," he urged. He started to dance, and I burst out laughing. He stopped suddenly and smiled.  
  
"What?" I asked curiously and he shook his head.  
  
"Show me what you can do!" He said. I sighed, closed my eyes, and started to do the best I could. He obviously enjoyed it, because when the song was over, his eyes were full of appreciation.  
  
"That's practice for tomorrow night," he whispered in my ear. I shivered. What was that supposed to mean? I kept this question to myself as I walked over to get myself something to drink. I heartily took a glass of punch and gulped it down, making sure that I didn't drip onto my shirt. Cassandra pulled on my arm.  
  
"What was that?" She asked astonishingly. I shrugged.  
  
"What?" She rolled her eyes angrily. The DJ came on the mic.  
  
"OK Ladies and Gents, this last dance is dedicated to the seniors of '04!" The crowd cheered, and Vitamin C's "Graduation" song came on. Andrew tugged on my arm and put his hands on my hips. I looked up.   
  
"Save the last dance for me?" He asked softly. I snaked my arms around his neck and nodded.  
  
It had to have been the best day of my life. Cassandra and Lilly were standing against the back wall, their slender arms crossed over their chests, a look of agitation on both of their faces. I flashed them a quick smile and returned my eyes back to Andrew's hazel ones. Before I knew it, the dance was over, and people were being escorted out of the cafeteria. Me and Andrew walked out, hand in hand. We stopped in front of the gym, and he crushed his lips to mine. I almost considered pushing him away, but my hands remained at my sides.  
  
"See you later?" he said softly, almost so I couldn't hear him. I nodded, and started to walk away.  
  
We had one hour left of school until my high school career was finally over. It was a time for signing year books and saying the final farewells to friends. I had just about everyone sign my yearbook until I had to buy more autograph pages for it. Cassandra and Lilly each took up one page, and there were so many people that had wanted to sign it. I basically made a line and had them come to me, exchanged books, and write a lengthy message for them. After everyone was finished, we stood in front of the clock and watched as the last few minutes of school were counted down. Some girls were crying, wailing that they would never see each other again. The bell rang, and people hollered and screamed, rushing out the doors and running through the hallways. I met up with Lilly, Cassandra and Andrew in the hallway.  
  
"This is it," I said sorrowfully. Andrew slung his arm around my shoulder. I shrugged it off.  
  
"Yeah," Lilly mumbled. Someone walked by, and sparked her interest, so she pulled Cassandra with her and walked off. I sighed.  
  
"How about some lunch?" Andrew asked. I shrugged and followed him out to the student parking lot.  
  
Five minutes had passed since the dismissal bell rang, and already, students were creating havoc on the school. Vandalism, Drugs, Sex . . . anything you could possibly imagine, it had happened. We quickly got into Andrew's red Explorer, and peeled out of the parking lot and onto the main road.  
  
"That was hell," Andrew mumbled. I nodded as I looked out the window. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing," I said. I was tired, and it had been a long day, and now it was over, forever.  
  
We pulled into a Mexican burrito shop and sat on the patio, watching the loud traffic go by. I ordered a bean and cheese burrito, Andrew ordered some nacho's, a Mexican pizza, and a soda. He stuffed his face while I daintily took bites.  
  
"So, what are you going to be doing after this?" Andrew inquired with his mouth full. I felt sick to my stomach to see the contents in his mouth fly out.  
  
"I'm going to leave for Harvard," I replied quickly, turning away. He swallowed, then took a sip of his coke.  
  
"You're leaving?"  
  
"Didn't I just say that?" I asked quite snappishly. He suddenly smiled.  
  
"Then I guess this is just a summer fling," he muttered. I shrugged.  
  
"Maybe not even the whole summer. I start in September," I reminded him.  
  
"Well, it's June now. We've still got a while," he protested, grabbing my hand. I impulsively let him take it. "Give it a chance June. It could be the best summer you've ever had." His eyes were pleading with me.  
  
"I don't like long distance relationships," I said, slowly taking my hand away. "It wouldn't work. And besides? How could I know if you weren't being faithful? There are more pretty girls than just me."  
  
"Don't you see? You're the only one I'm interested in!" He cried. I shook my head.  
  
"I don't want to argue. . ."  
  
"Then don't." He snapped. He took a huge bite of his pizza and chewed it up angrily.  
  
"You could at least chew with your mouth closed," I said softly. He looked at me.  
  
"Thank you for correcting me," he said mockingly and closed his mouth. I finished the last of my burrito and tossed it in the trash.  
  
"Can you take me home?" I asked.   
  
"I though we were going to go somewhere after this. Like to the pool hall," he said.  
  
"I never agreed to that, and you never mentioned it to me," I retorted. He stood up, wrapped up his food and tossed it in the trash.  
  
"You're chariot awaits," he said sarcastically, and I felt like striking him, but I kept my hands to myself and crawled into the car. We drove silently, and when he pulled up to my house, he leaned over and brought me towards him in a kiss. I pushed him off.  
  
"Hey!" He flared as I opened the door and gathered my things together. "You don't have to be such a prude. Don't you have any manners?" I spun toward him.  
  
"Yes, I do, Andrew Louis. You're the one who doesn't have manners. I'm not going to be treated as a trophy girl by your side. And about prom, you can forget about even going unless you can change your attitude and treat me how I'm supposed to be treated." I slammed the door and marched up the walkway to my house. Andrew's tires screamed as he floored the gas pedal and drove away. I entered the house and announced my arrival.  
  
"I'm home!" I nearly screamed, running upstairs and throwing my stuff on my bed. Daddy came out of his office and greeted me.  
  
"What's wrong?" He questioned when he saw the frown on my face. I ran my fingers through my hair.  
  
"Oh, nothing," I breathed. I didn't feel like explaining to him what had happened. "Where's Mom?"  
  
"Right here!" She sang as she shut the door to her bedroom. "We have a surprise for you."  
  
"A surprise?" I asked. They both nodded.  
  
"Come with us." Mom said, pulling me downstairs. I followed her downstairs and into the garage. The lights were turned off, and it was pitch black.  
  
"Now close your eyes," Mom squealed. She couldn't contain her excitement. I clasped my fingers over my eyes and heard the light switch being flipped on.  
  
"OK, open!" Daddy exclaimed, and my hands flew away from my face to see a black Mercedes sitting in front of me, a big burgundy ribbon wrapped around it.  
  
"Oh my goodness!" I cried, running towards it. The paint had a shiny new gloss on it, reflecting the garage lights. I turned to my parents, who were both beaming with happiness.  
  
"What happened to my Expedition?" I asked.  
  
"We traded it in," Daddy blurted. I ran my fingers down the hood. I looked back at the both of them.  
  
"Oh, thank you so much!" I ran to them and gave them each a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"It's your present," Daddy said, handing me the keys. I watched them glimmer in the garage light, and then eagerly took them from him and held them in my hand.  
  
"You can drive it right now if you like," Mommy suggested. "Also, if you're going out, could you pick up Brian and Eddie from school?" I nodded and climbed behind the wheel. It had a six speaker stereo and a navigational system. I waved to them and opened up the garage door, and sped away to the elementary school.  
  
Once I had pulled up, I had to get out of the car and wave to him and Eddie. His eyes bulged wide as he scampered over to the car.  
  
"Whoa!" He exclaimed. "Where did you get this?"  
  
"It was a gift from Mom and Dad. Get in," I commanded and he crawled into the back-seat, along with his friend Eddie.  
  
"This is cool!" He cried as I sped off. I shrugged. The two started horse playing in the back seat, and I turned around.  
  
"Stop it!" I screamed, and both of their eyes got wide, and it was quiet the rest of the ride home.  
  
I took my time getting home. Riding in my new car had bought a smile to my face, forgetting about Andrew's stubbornness. I pulled up into the driveway, and Eddie and Brian leaped out of the car, hurrying into the house. I took another good look at my car and got out, hanging up my keys on the key rack by the garage door and walking inside.  
  
Mommy was in the kitchen, starting dinner already. Daddy was gone in his office, reviewing files and speaking with clients over the phone. I went up directly up to my room and pulled out my diary, making sure to lock my door in case Brian and his friend decided to do a little spying.  
  
Today, I must admit, has been confusing. First off, I got my FIRST kiss by Andrew! I nearly passed out with joy. Then afterwards during rehearsal for graduation, I had to deliver my speech to the senior student body. I was extremely nervous; I hadn't even rehearsed for my parents yet! Nonetheless, I performed for the crowd. surprisingly, I received a thundering applause from the crowd, and that I was grateful for. After the rehearsal, we went into the gym and had a dance sort of thing, I guess. Andrew urged me to dance, but I refused, but then started to ease up and dance. I guess it was acceptable for Andrew, because his eyes were dancing with approval. The dance was finished, and it was time to sign year books and count down the last minutes of school. It was a time of desperation and sadness for most, but for me, it was mostly sadness. The last four years of my life were to be ended as if they never happened. . .  
  
Andrew took me out to lunch, which ended in a fight. He was acting quite rude to me, and I told him that I wouldn't go to prom with him unless he shaped up to be a respectable date. My advice and words of warning probably went in one ear and out the other. He drove away angrily, but that is enough of my bad encounter.  
  
I came home and found out that my Expedition was never to be returned. Instead, I got a new Mercedes! It's a piece of work, I must say. I took it for a short drive to Brian and his little friend Eddie home. They started fooling around in the back of the car, and I yelled at them to stop. I wasn't going to let them destroy my new car.  
  
Now I'm home, and I'm debating to what I should do now. I was thinking about practicing my valedictorian speech for my parents, but I think I'm going to keep it a surprise until tonight. I think I'm going to set out my graduation dress and go downstairs for an early dinner.  
  
I hid my diary and made sure it was securely hidden and walked out of my room, seeing Brian chasing Eddie down the hallway.  
  
"Stop it!" I chastised. "Go outside for that." I pointed to downstairs and they both scampered off, pretending to be secret agents. I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen.  
  
"Hello dear," Mom said, looking over my way as she chopped an onion up, blinking away the tears that came from the acid of the onion. I walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a soda.  
  
"Are you nervous yet?" Mom asked. Suddenly, the butterflies started to flutter their wings against my stomach. I frowned and opened my soda.  
  
"I'm very excited for you June," she replied suddenly. "I couldn't wait for the day to see my baby graduate from high school." I nodded and put my soda on the counter and walked toward her.  
  
"What's for dinner?" I asked, putting my hand over my abdomen, wanting my nausea to wash away.  
  
"A pork chop casserole. You'll like it," she assured. I nodded again and decided to visit Daddy in his office if he wasn't too busy. I knocked on his door, and heard him say, "Come in." I opened the door and closed it softly behind me.  
  
Daddy sat behind his large oak desk, his elbow propped up on the desk, looking through stacks of paperwork. He looked up and grinned.  
  
"How was the ride?" He inquired immediately. I smiled broadly and sat down in one of the chairs that sat in front of his desk.  
  
"It's beautiful Daddy. I love it so much," I squealed. He laughed.  
  
"Good." He returned to his paper work and sighed.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"I just have so much to do. . . " he explained.  
  
"You'll be there tonight, won't you?" I asked hesitantly. He chuckled.  
  
"Of course. I wouldn't miss you graduation for the world," he boasted. I beamed.  
  
"Wonderful. Dinner will be served soon. We're having a pork chop casserole," I informed. He nodded and retreated back to his paperwork. I left him alone and went into my room, hearing my phone ring in the distance. I was hoping that it wasn't Andrew, but when I picked up the phone, it was.  
  
"Can we talk?"  
  
"Andrew, I'm not in the mood to argue. I don't need anything else to worry about tonight," I muttered.  
  
"I want to apologize."  
  
"Then go ahead," I said carelessly.  
  
"Are you going to listen?" He asked.  
  
"I don't know. I might if it's acceptable," I said, sitting down on my bed carefully. He took a deep breath.  
  
"June, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have treated you like that. I don't know. . . I was just . . . acting weird. It's the last day of school!" He exclaimed. "And I really like you June. And I want us to work out." I shook my head. Why was I doing this?  
  
"Andrew. . . "  
  
"June, please, just listen to me. I would really like it if you went to prom with me. I haven't given up on you yet."  
  
"I don't know-" Mom called me down for dinner. "I have to go. We'll work it out tonight, OK?" I hung up and hurried downstairs, fleeing from my thoughts. I sat down at the dinner table and hung my head low.  
  
"What's wrong June?" Daddy wondered. I shook my head.  
  
"Nothing Daddy," I implied, but he looked at me skeptically and watched as Mommy came out of the kitchen, carrying the casserole. She served Brian and Eddie a plate, and I served myself a meager size and took small bites.  
  
"Are you OK June? You don't look too happy," Mommy noticed. I shook my head.  
  
"I'm just extremely nervous," I muttered, taking a sip of my drink. She nodded and picked up her fork. Brian was playing with his food, and Eddie soon caught on to it.  
  
"Brian, Eddie, stop playing with your food," Mom snapped, and they quit and started eating. I finished quickly, already full.  
  
"I have to start getting ready. May I be excused?" Mommy looked surprised.  
  
"But June, you haven't eaten very much of your dinner," she pointed out.  
  
"I know, but my nerves are biting at me," I said. She shrugged and nodded. I flew away from the table and went into my room to turn the shower on and get in. My mind continually wandered. Andrew had got me thinking. What if I gave this a chance? I shook my head. I wasn't going to think about this. I was going to have one of the best nights of my life. 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
I pulled up to the school in my new car, my heart pounding wildly. I didn't know if I was ready for this tonight. It would be my graduation, something I would have to remember the rest of my life. I parked and got out of the car, scaring myself to see Cassie and Lilly standing next to the car.   
  
"Where'd you get this?" Lilly cried as she ran her hands down the hood.   
  
"A present," I announced and Cassie gasped.   
  
"Some present," Cassie muttered and started walking toward the school building. I walked with Lilly and Cassandra and hurried into the auditorium.   
  
Racks of gowns and caps lined the stage, and I picked the one that had my name scribbled on it. Lilly and Cassandra grabbed theirs and went into the back of the auditorium to put them on.   
  
"Have you talked to Andrew yet?" Cassie asked, stepping into her gown. I froze, and instantly they saw the look of terror on my face.   
  
"What happened?" Lilly asked excitedly.   
  
"Nothing," I lied quickly and zipped up my gown.   
  
"You're lying, I can tell," Cassie said. "What happened?"  
  
"We got into a fight," I explained. Cassie sighed dramatically.   
  
"You have to go and mess everything up with boys, don't you?" She yelled.   
  
"Hey! It's not my fault that most men these days are complete idiots," I shot back.  
  
"He wasn't an idiot!" Lilly exclaimed. "He was a nice guy. Let me guess, your 'Martha Stewart' personality came out and you rejected the guy, didn't you?"  
  
"I had to! He was a pig!" I retorted. "We got into an argument because he thought that I was just another notch on his belt." Cassie rolled her eyes.   
  
"Sure," she muttered and put her cap on so that it wouldn't mess up her hair. I grunted angrily and put my cap on and fished for my speech. Just where I had left it. I smiled and scanned it over and over again, sitting down in one of the auditorium chairs and reading it to myself.   
  
"Need someone to listen to?" I looked up. Andrew.   
  
"Andrew, I don't want to talk right now-"  
  
"Then we can talk later."  
  
"Andrew, I don't want anything to make me any more nervous than I already am. Please, I promise, we'll talk later." I pleaded. His eyes darkened, and he walked away obediently. I tucked the speech into my pocket of my gown and stood up and followed the other's outside. Miss Durham was walking around like a chicken with her head cut off. She ran up to me and seized my shoulders.  
  
"June, oh goodness. Please tell me you're speech is with you. The last thing I need right now is to worry. Do you have it?" I nodded and showed it to her. She sighed.   
  
"Wonderful. Now go with your class and get ready." I ran back into my line and marched out to the football field.  
  
People were packed into the rows of bleachers, dressed very formally, yelling and screaming. That made my heart leap into my throat. I frantically looked around for my parents, but we were still too far away to make out anyone distinctly. We stopped in the middle of the football field, and suddenly scattered to our seats. I inched toward mine, shaking beneath my graduation robe. Mrs. Alchester, the school principle, walked up to the poduim, made sure the microphones were in check and cleared his throat.   
  
"Welcome ladies and gentleman, to the graduating class of 2004." There was a loud wave of applauding and cheering. "It is a time for one and all to realize that their child has finally grown up. Now, I would like to introduce the Valedictorian this year, June Parker." The crowd screamed, and I waited for a second before standing up and walking over to the poduim and pulling out my speech. I sighed nervously and began. The crowd was dead silent as I performed, looking up at the audience to see that they had their full attention on me. I fiddled with my fingers during the speech, twisting and turning them around underneath the podium. Finally, I finished, and then there was a deafening applause. People leaped up and started screaming, yelling, cheering. I hurried back to my seat, and purposely slouched. Cassie nudged my side to signal for me to sit up. I sat up and placed my hands in my lap. The procession seemed to go slowly after that, and finally, it was time for my class to stand up to walk up to the podium.   
  
My heart pounded and a sweat threatened to break out on my brow. I walked as proudly as I could, but inside, my organs were moving inside and out around my stomach. I felt sick, but I didn't complain. I waited patiently for my name to be called, and with it, my titles, like student council president, valedictorian, and others. I closed my eyes and walked up, fearing that I would trip over my own feet, but I made it up there and was handed my diploma.  
  
It was a golden moment. Flash bulbs on cameras were blinking rapidly and people were yelling and clapping. The principal hugged me and shook my hand, and I proceeded over to a long line of teachers and staff who I had to thank. I walked back to my seat, and sat down, sighing. Luckily, we were the last class to be called, and the principle stood back up at the podium.   
  
"I present to you the class of 2004!" As expected, we threw our caps up in the air and cheered. I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw that Andrew was standing next to me.   
  
"How did you get here?" I hissed, but we were to be quickly ushered back into the school so we could take off our gowns and caps and put them away. I walked quietly, staring at the back of Andrew's head angrily. As we walked back into the auditorium, I ran past him and over to where my things were. I carefully took off my gown and placed it back in the box, along with my cap. I grabbed my purse and hurried to the patio. There was a reception with food and drink after the ceremony. Mom and Dad were already there, waiting for me. Once they had seen me, Mom ran toward me and Dad pulled out his digital camera and started clicking. Brian was standing at Daddy's feet.   
  
"Oh, honey I'm so proud of you!" Mom cried, hugging me tightly.  
  
"Thank you Mommy," I said. Daddy took hold of my diploma and ordered for me to stand next to Mom for Pictures. I smiled brightly as I could as he took 3 or 4 pictures. Andrew came up behind Daddy, and I pulled away from Mommy.   
  
"Um, Mom, I'll be right back," I said to her and walked over to Andrew, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him away. I stood by the cafeteria and leaned against the wall.   
  
"You wanted to talk?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.   
  
"June, please don't be like this," he pleaded.   
  
"You made me like this, Andrew. If you weren't so stubborn-" He grabbed my face and brought my lips to his. I pulled away.   
  
"My parents are watching!" I shrieked.  
  
"June, please, I can't get enough of you," he groaned, wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his face in the crook of my neck.   
  
"Andrew," I pleaded softly. I couldn't help but like him. He was the only boy that had ever taken any interest in me.  
  
"Why don't we go out tonight? There's this spectacular party tonight at my friend Alex's. Come with me."  
  
"I can't. It's too late, and besides, I have to be up early, for my hair appointment, for you," I snapped. His eyes slightly brightened.   
  
"So you are going to prom with me?"  
  
"I didn't say that I was going to with you. I might go with Cassie and Lilly." I had done that the past 3 years in a row, and I was somewhat sick of it. He fixed his posture.   
  
"So you're not going to go with me?" His eyes got sad and big. I looked away.   
  
"Andrew stop," I commanded.   
  
"I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry!" He wailed, loudly enough to attract attention.   
  
"Stop being like this!" I hissed, pulling him into the shadows. "I've come very close to slapping you and walking away, and I know you wouldn't like that." His eyes got wide.   
  
"I will go with you to this party, and I will be monitoring your behavior. If I find it acceptable, you have yourself a date for Prom. If not. . . " I trailed. He pressed his fingers to my lips.   
  
"That's all I needed to here. June, oh, thank you!" he cried and kissed me. My heart fluttered.   
  
"Should I introduce you to my parents?" I muttered.   
  
"That would be great!" He yelled. "I want to meet the two people that created this beautiful girl," he said.   
  
"Actually, I don't think that they are ready to meet you yet, since you pulled what you did earlier," I muttered. His smiled drooped.  
  
"Well, I guess that's OK," he murmured.   
  
"So, I'll go tell my parents, and then we're leaving?"  
  
"Yes. I'm so happy June. You've made me the happiest man on the earth!" He spun around, and I strutted away to talk to my parents. They were waiting patiently with Brian running circles around them.   
  
"Um, tonight, there's a party, at one of my friends house, and he wanted me to attend." I didn't realize how stupid I sounded until then. They both smile.   
  
"Sure darling, have fun. It's your graduation night," Mommy said. I looked at them both strangely for a minute. Didn't they want to warn me about drugs and alcohol and sex? Didn't that run through their mind? Just then, I noticed that they had trusted me. They didn't need to tell me about that stuff. They know I would never do it. I smiled.   
  
"I'm going to go change and head over. Thank you for coming," I said and hugged the both of them very tightly.   
  
"Congratulations, honey. You earned it," Daddy said in my ear. I smiled, waved at them, and walked to Andrew.   
  
"I'm going to go home real quick and change."  
  
"Why, you look beautiful as it is," he said, and smiled. I beamed.   
  
"Well, I don't want to walk around in this dress. It's expensive," I explained.   
  
"OK, I'll follow you home, you can change real quick, and we'll head over." I nodded and started walking over to the parking lot, crawled into my car, and drove home. Andrew kept honking at me, because later on when we arrived at my house, he told me that I drove to slow.   
  
"What are you doing, going the speed limit?" I rolled my eyes.   
  
"Yes. I don't want to get into any tickets."  
  
"Yeah, those suck, I've gotten like. . . " he started counting on his fingers. "15 maybe."  
  
"15!" I cried, entering my house. I hung my keys on the rack and put my purse on the counter. Andrew whistled.   
  
"Gorgeous house," he whispered, looking around in awe. I shrugged and walked up the stairs. Andrew continued to follow me.   
  
"Hey, you go wait downstairs," I commanded and waited for him to turn around. He whimpered and turned around and waited in the parlor. I went up to my room quickly and shut and locked my door. I couldn't trust Andrew enough to leave my door unlocked. I searched through my closet and found a new pair of jeans that I hadn't worn yet and an off-the-shoulder blouse, which was red. I pulled my hair back and put on a little cover up. Andrew pounded on the door.   
  
"C'mon! Let's go!" He cried. I rolled my eyes, slipped into a pair of red sandals and opened the door. He smiled.   
  
"You're beautiful. Let's go," He commanded and grabbed my wrist, pulling me downstairs.   
  
"Andrew! I'm going to fall!" I cried, just as I had tripped over a step and landed on him. He fell forward and tried to turn around so that I wouldn't fall. I landed on top of him and he put his arms around my waist. I looked at him.   
  
"You did that on purpose," I said softly. He grinned and lunged toward me for a kiss. I was surprised. I had never had a boy kiss me like that, actually, I had never had a boy kiss me at all before Andrew. I pulled away and stood up.   
  
"We have to go," I said and grabbed my purse as I walked to the door. He brushed off his clothing and walked toward me.   
  
We took my car to the party. A few houses before we got there, we could hear the music and the laughter and the screaming. We parked, and I was afraid that someone would vandalize my car, but I saw other expensive cars like mine, so I didn't worry as much. We got out of the car and walked inside the house.   
  
The lights were off, and black lights and strobe lights illuminated the room. Andrew grabbed my wrist and pulled me over to where a tall, young man stood with dark hair and was wearing a red polo shirt with the collar popped and khaki shorts.   
  
"Hey," Alex said and they both did their little handshake.   
  
"I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, June," he said, nodding over to me. My eyes widened. I didn't know that he was calling me his girlfriend. Alex took my extended hand and shook it.   
  
"Real pretty," he said, looking me up and down. I blushed and turned my head to the side. "Welcome."  
  
"Thanks," I mumbled.   
  
"Want a beer?" Alex asked Andrew. I looked up expectantly.   
  
"No, I'm good," Andrew refused. I sighed with relief.   
  
"All right man. Well, I'm gonna go find myself a hot lady to talk to. Later." He nodded and walked away. I turned to Andrew.   
  
"There's beer here?" I asked.   
  
"Yeah, hell yea. And there's some ecstasy going around, I'm sure," he replied. That made my stomach turn. "Want something to drink?" I shook my head. I was afraid that it would be poisoned or something. He smiled and went over to the kitchen. I was tapped on the shoulder, and I turned around.   
  
"Hey!" Cassie cried. I groaned.   
  
"I didn't know that you went to parties," Lilly giggled. She was apparently drunk. Both of them had red cups in their hand.   
  
"Yeah. So, did you come alone?" Cassie inquired, looking behind me.   
  
"No, I came with Andrew," I replied. Both of them smiled sheepishly.   
  
"I see. Has he taken you upstairs yet to show you the house?" Lilly asked, then giggled. I shook my head. Andrew walked up to us and smiled.   
  
"We'll see you later," Cassie said and pulled Lilly away. I looked over at Andrew.   
  
"I didn't expect them to be here," I told him. The music got louder and I had to yell it.   
  
"Hey, why don't I take you on the tour of the house? He's got a really nice house," Andrew screamed loud enough for me to here. I paused. How did Cassandra and Lilly predict that? I nodded anyway, my body feeling hollow. He smiled and grabbed my hand pulling me to the back of the house.   
  
"There's the laundry room . . . the pool, backyard, volleyball pit. . . " He rattled off. "Now let me show you the upstairs." I chewed on my lip and followed him up. He showed me Alex's room and his parent's room and then the guest rooms. The last one we came to had a grand balcony on it, and we stood outside for a while. My heart was racing at an extreme speed. I thought I was going to fall off the balcony.   
  
"You OK?" Andrew asked me, slipping his arm around my waist. I nodded.   
  
"Just a little dizzy, afraid of heights," I lied. He raised his eyebrows.   
  
"I didn't know that you were afraid of heights."  
  
"There's a lot of things that you don't know about me," I muttered and leaned against the railing, looking down into the pool.   
  
"I'm sure you're wondering why I took you up here."  
  
"Somewhat," I replied honestly. He sighed.   
  
"I didn't bring you up here to sleep with you. I just wanted to hang out alone." I looked at him. Either he was a really good actor, or he was truly being honest. I softened. "I really like being around you. I'm sure my friends have filled you in on some of the stuff that I do." I shook my head. "I'm trying to change my ways. I graduated with a 2.8. GPA with close to failing grades. All I cared about was partying and sports." I had just remembered that Andrew was on most of the varsity sports teams.   
  
"But I really care about you," he continued. He took my breath away and tears came to my eyes. No one had truly cared about me besides my parents. I couldn't help but throwing my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest. He rubbed my back.   
  
"I hope you care about me," he said. I looked up at him.   
  
"Of course I do. I mean, I've only known you for a while, but I still care about you," I explained. He lifted my chin and kissed me. Explosions of fireworks and stars literally filled my eyes. He wrapped his arms around me and trailed his finger down my spine. I shivered as his lips traveled down to my neck and shoulders. The door suddenly flew open, and in stepped Cassie and Lilly. Cassie's smile was the biggest I had ever seen on her.   
  
"I figured as much," Cassie said, looking over at Lilly. She nodded.   
  
"Shut up Cassandra," Andrew snapped. Cassie snickered.   
  
"What did I tell you June? You have to watch out for him," Cassie slurred. I walked over to her.   
  
"Shut up! He wasn't doing anything!" I yelled. She only smiled cruelly.   
  
"Sure, you just want someone that loves you and who is really who they say they are." I looked at her.   
  
"What?"  
  
"Cassie, you're drunk, you don't even know what you're talking about," Andrew roared.   
  
"I know what I'm talking about. Your parents adopted you." I froze and then rolled my eyes.   
  
"Sure Cassie."  
  
"It's true!" Lilly cried. "I know about it. A lot of people know about it." Andrew stepped toward Cassandra and Lilly.  
  
"You're both drunk. She wasn't adopted. There's too close of a resemblance. Now get the hell out of here," he announced and pointed to the door. Cassie snickered, Lilly giggled and together they walked out of the room. Andrew slammed the door and I took a seat on the bed. I didn't even realize that I was shivering until I looked at my hand.   
  
"Are you OK?" Andrew asked. I shook my head and started to tremble.   
  
"Come on, I'm going to take you home," he decided and helped me up. I threw my arm around his shoulder and tried to walk by myself but my legs were wobbly. He helped me downstairs and out the front door. Others around us assumed that we were drunk and didn't pay us any attention. Alex walked up to us.   
  
"Hey, leaving so soon?" He asked.   
  
"Yeah, we're going to head out," Andrew said. He didn't explain what had happened.   
  
"All right. I'll see you tomorrow," Alex said and walked away. We got to the car and I sat in the drivers seat. Andrew shook his head.   
  
"I'm going to drive. You're too upset," he explained. I slid over in the seat and he started the car and sped off. He reached over and grabbed my hand once we got onto the main road.   
  
"You OK?" Andrew asked. I nodded.   
  
"I don't know why I was so shaken up about it thought. I mean, I know that they are my real parents, but something about the way Cassie said it make me have the chills," I explained. He shrugged.   
  
"You know it's not true. So forget about it," he said. We pulled up to the house quicker than I had expected. He got out of the car and came over to kiss me goodnight.   
  
"Get some sleep," he said and kissed my cheek. I nodded and ran into the house. Mommy and Daddy were already asleep, and I was grateful for that. I ran up to my room, changed my clothes, and dove into my bed to go to sleep.   
  
Chapter 3  
  
I pulled up to the school in my new car, my heart pounding wildly. I didn't know if I was ready for this tonight. It would be my graduation, something I would have to remember the rest of my life. I parked and got out of the car, scaring myself to see Cassie and Lilly standing next to the car.   
  
"Where'd you get this?" Lilly cried as she ran her hands down the hood.   
  
"A present," I announced and Cassie gasped.   
  
"Some present," Cassie muttered and started walking toward the school building. I walked with Lilly and Cassandra and hurried into the auditorium.   
  
Racks of gowns and caps lined the stage, and I picked the one that had my name scribbled on it. Lilly and Cassandra grabbed theirs and went into the back of the auditorium to put them on.   
  
"Have you talked to Andrew yet?" Cassie asked, stepping into her gown. I froze, and instantly they saw the look of terror on my face.   
  
"What happened?" Lilly asked excitedly.   
  
"Nothing," I lied quickly and zipped up my gown.   
  
"You're lying, I can tell," Cassie said. "What happened?"  
  
"We got into a fight," I explained. Cassie sighed dramatically.   
  
"You have to go and mess everything up with boys, don't you?" She yelled.   
  
"Hey! It's not my fault that most men these days are complete idiots," I shot back.  
  
"He wasn't an idiot!" Lilly exclaimed. "He was a nice guy. Let me guess, your 'Martha Stewart' personality came out and you rejected the guy, didn't you?"  
  
"I had to! He was a pig!" I retorted. "We got into an argument because he thought that I was just another notch on his belt." Cassie rolled her eyes.   
  
"Sure," she muttered and put her cap on so that it wouldn't mess up her hair. I grunted angrily and put my cap on and fished for my speech. Just where I had left it. I smiled and scanned it over and over again, sitting down in one of the auditorium chairs and reading it to myself.   
  
"Need someone to listen to?" I looked up. Andrew.   
  
"Andrew, I don't want to talk right now-"  
  
"Then we can talk later."  
  
"Andrew, I don't want anything to make me any more nervous than I already am. Please, I promise, we'll talk later." I pleaded. His eyes darkened, and he walked away obediently. I tucked the speech into my pocket of my gown and stood up and followed the other's outside. Miss Durham was walking around like a chicken with her head cut off. She ran up to me and seized my shoulders.  
  
"June, oh goodness. Please tell me you're speech is with you. The last thing I need right now is to worry. Do you have it?" I nodded and showed it to her. She sighed.   
  
"Wonderful. Now go with your class and get ready." I ran back into my line and marched out to the football field.  
  
People were packed into the rows of bleachers, dressed very formally, yelling and screaming. That made my heart leap into my throat. I frantically looked around for my parents, but we were still too far away to make out anyone distinctly. We stopped in the middle of the football field, and suddenly scattered to our seats. I inched toward mine, shaking beneath my graduation robe. Mrs. Alchester, the school principle, walked up to the poduim, made sure the microphones were in check and cleared his throat.   
  
"Welcome ladies and gentleman, to the graduating class of 2004." There was a loud wave of applauding and cheering. "It is a time for one and all to realize that their child has finally grown up. Now, I would like to introduce the Valedictorian this year, June Parker." The crowd screamed, and I waited for a second before standing up and walking over to the poduim and pulling out my speech. I sighed nervously and began. The crowd was dead silent as I performed, looking up at the audience to see that they had their full attention on me. I fiddled with my fingers during the speech, twisting and turning them around underneath the podium. Finally, I finished, and then there was a deafening applause. People leaped up and started screaming, yelling, cheering. I hurried back to my seat, and purposely slouched. Cassie nudged my side to signal for me to sit up. I sat up and placed my hands in my lap. The procession seemed to go slowly after that, and finally, it was time for my class to stand up to walk up to the podium.   
  
My heart pounded and a sweat threatened to break out on my brow. I walked as proudly as I could, but inside, my organs were moving inside and out around my stomach. I felt sick, but I didn't complain. I waited patiently for my name to be called, and with it, my titles, like student council president, valedictorian, and others. I closed my eyes and walked up, fearing that I would trip over my own feet, but I made it up there and was handed my diploma.  
  
It was a golden moment. Flash bulbs on cameras were blinking rapidly and people were yelling and clapping. The principal hugged me and shook my hand, and I proceeded over to a long line of teachers and staff who I had to thank. I walked back to my seat, and sat down, sighing. Luckily, we were the last class to be called, and the principle stood back up at the podium.   
  
"I present to you the class of 2004!" As expected, we threw our caps up in the air and cheered. I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw that Andrew was standing next to me.   
  
"How did you get here?" I hissed, but we were to be quickly ushered back into the school so we could take off our gowns and caps and put them away. I walked quietly, staring at the back of Andrew's head angrily. As we walked back into the auditorium, I ran past him and over to where my things were. I carefully took off my gown and placed it back in the box, along with my cap. I grabbed my purse and hurried to the patio. There was a reception with food and drink after the ceremony. Mom and Dad were already there, waiting for me. Once they had seen me, Mom ran toward me and Dad pulled out his digital camera and started clicking. Brian was standing at Daddy's feet.   
  
"Oh, honey I'm so proud of you!" Mom cried, hugging me tightly.  
  
"Thank you Mommy," I said. Daddy took hold of my diploma and ordered for me to stand next to Mom for Pictures. I smiled brightly as I could as he took 3 or 4 pictures. Andrew came up behind Daddy, and I pulled away from Mommy.   
  
"Um, Mom, I'll be right back," I said to her and walked over to Andrew, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him away. I stood by the cafeteria and leaned against the wall.   
  
"You wanted to talk?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.   
  
"June, please don't be like this," he pleaded.   
  
"You made me like this, Andrew. If you weren't so stubborn-" He grabbed my face and brought my lips to his. I pulled away.   
  
"My parents are watching!" I shrieked.  
  
"June, please, I can't get enough of you," he groaned, wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his face in the crook of my neck.   
  
"Andrew," I pleaded softly. I couldn't help but like him. He was the only boy that had ever taken any interest in me.  
  
"Why don't we go out tonight? There's this spectacular party tonight at my friend Alex's. Come with me."  
  
"I can't. It's too late, and besides, I have to be up early, for my hair appointment, for you," I snapped. His eyes slightly brightened.   
  
"So you are going to prom with me?"  
  
"I didn't say that I was going to with you. I might go with Cassie and Lilly." I had done that the past 3 years in a row, and I was somewhat sick of it. He fixed his posture.   
  
"So you're not going to go with me?" His eyes got sad and big. I looked away.   
  
"Andrew stop," I commanded.   
  
"I don't know how many times I can say I'm sorry!" He wailed, loudly enough to attract attention.   
  
"Stop being like this!" I hissed, pulling him into the shadows. "I've come very close to slapping you and walking away, and I know you wouldn't like that." His eyes got wide.   
  
"I will go with you to this party, and I will be monitoring your behavior. If I find it acceptable, you have yourself a date for Prom. If not. . . " I trailed. He pressed his fingers to my lips.   
  
"That's all I needed to here. June, oh, thank you!" he cried and kissed me. My heart fluttered.   
  
"Should I introduce you to my parents?" I muttered.   
  
"That would be great!" He yelled. "I want to meet the two people that created this beautiful girl," he said.   
  
"Actually, I don't think that they are ready to meet you yet, since you pulled what you did earlier," I muttered. His smiled drooped.  
  
"Well, I guess that's OK," he murmured.   
  
"So, I'll go tell my parents, and then we're leaving?"  
  
"Yes. I'm so happy June. You've made me the happiest man on the earth!" He spun around, and I strutted away to talk to my parents. They were waiting patiently with Brian running circles around them.   
  
"Um, tonight, there's a party, at one of my friends house, and he wanted me to attend." I didn't realize how stupid I sounded until then. They both smile.   
  
"Sure darling, have fun. It's your graduation night," Mommy said. I looked at them both strangely for a minute. Didn't they want to warn me about drugs and alcohol and sex? Didn't that run through their mind? Just then, I noticed that they had trusted me. They didn't need to tell me about that stuff. They know I would never do it. I smiled.   
  
"I'm going to go change and head over. Thank you for coming," I said and hugged the both of them very tightly.   
  
"Congratulations, honey. You earned it," Daddy said in my ear. I smiled, waved at them, and walked to Andrew.   
  
"I'm going to go home real quick and change."  
  
"Why, you look beautiful as it is," he said, and smiled. I beamed.   
  
"Well, I don't want to walk around in this dress. It's expensive," I explained.   
  
"OK, I'll follow you home, you can change real quick, and we'll head over." I nodded and started walking over to the parking lot, crawled into my car, and drove home. Andrew kept honking at me, because later on when we arrived at my house, he told me that I drove to slow.   
  
"What are you doing, going the speed limit?" I rolled my eyes.   
  
"Yes. I don't want to get into any tickets."  
  
"Yeah, those suck, I've gotten like. . . " he started counting on his fingers. "15 maybe."  
  
"15!" I cried, entering my house. I hung my keys on the rack and put my purse on the counter. Andrew whistled.   
  
"Gorgeous house," he whispered, looking around in awe. I shrugged and walked up the stairs. Andrew continued to follow me.   
  
"Hey, you go wait downstairs," I commanded and waited for him to turn around. He whimpered and turned around and waited in the parlor. I went up to my room quickly and shut and locked my door. I couldn't trust Andrew enough to leave my door unlocked. I searched through my closet and found a new pair of jeans that I hadn't worn yet and an off-the-shoulder blouse, which was red. I pulled my hair back and put on a little cover up. Andrew pounded on the door.   
  
"C'mon! Let's go!" He cried. I rolled my eyes, slipped into a pair of red sandals and opened the door. He smiled.   
  
"You're beautiful. Let's go," He commanded and grabbed my wrist, pulling me downstairs.   
  
"Andrew! I'm going to fall!" I cried, just as I had tripped over a step and landed on him. He fell forward and tried to turn around so that I wouldn't fall. I landed on top of him and he put his arms around my waist. I looked at him.   
  
"You did that on purpose," I said softly. He grinned and lunged toward me for a kiss. I was surprised. I had never had a boy kiss me like that, actually, I had never had a boy kiss me at all before Andrew. I pulled away and stood up.   
  
"We have to go," I said and grabbed my purse as I walked to the door. He brushed off his clothing and walked toward me.   
  
We took my car to the party. A few houses before we got there, we could hear the music and the laughter and the screaming. We parked, and I was afraid that someone would vandalize my car, but I saw other expensive cars like mine, so I didn't worry as much. We got out of the car and walked inside the house.   
  
The lights were off, and black lights and strobe lights illuminated the room. Andrew grabbed my wrist and pulled me over to where a tall, young man stood with dark hair and was wearing a red polo shirt with the collar popped and khaki shorts.   
  
"Hey," Alex said and they both did their little handshake.   
  
"I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, June," he said, nodding over to me. My eyes widened. I didn't know that he was calling me his girlfriend. Alex took my extended hand and shook it.   
  
"Real pretty," he said, looking me up and down. I blushed and turned my head to the side. "Welcome."  
  
"Thanks," I mumbled.   
  
"Want a beer?" Alex asked Andrew. I looked up expectantly.   
  
"No, I'm good," Andrew refused. I sighed with relief.   
  
"All right man. Well, I'm gonna go find myself a hot lady to talk to. Later." He nodded and walked away. I turned to Andrew.   
  
"There's beer here?" I asked.   
  
"Yeah, hell yea. And there's some ecstasy going around, I'm sure," he replied. That made my stomach turn. "Want something to drink?" I shook my head. I was afraid that it would be poisoned or something. He smiled and went over to the kitchen. I was tapped on the shoulder, and I turned around.   
  
"Hey!" Cassie cried. I groaned.   
  
"I didn't know that you went to parties," Lilly giggled. She was apparently drunk. Both of them had red cups in their hand.   
  
"Yeah. So, did you come alone?" Cassie inquired, looking behind me.   
  
"No, I came with Andrew," I replied. Both of them smiled sheepishly.   
  
"I see. Has he taken you upstairs yet to show you the house?" Lilly asked, then giggled. I shook my head. Andrew walked up to us and smiled.   
  
"We'll see you later," Cassie said and pulled Lilly away. I looked over at Andrew.   
  
"I didn't expect them to be here," I told him. The music got louder and I had to yell it.   
  
"Hey, why don't I take you on the tour of the house? He's got a really nice house," Andrew screamed loud enough for me to here. I paused. How did Cassandra and Lilly predict that? I nodded anyway, my body feeling hollow. He smiled and grabbed my hand pulling me to the back of the house.   
  
"There's the laundry room . . . the pool, backyard, volleyball pit. . . " He rattled off. "Now let me show you the upstairs." I chewed on my lip and followed him up. He showed me Alex's room and his parent's room and then the guest rooms. The last one we came to had a grand balcony on it, and we stood outside for a while. My heart was racing at an extreme speed. I thought I was going to fall off the balcony.   
  
"You OK?" Andrew asked me, slipping his arm around my waist. I nodded.   
  
"Just a little dizzy, afraid of heights," I lied. He raised his eyebrows.   
  
"I didn't know that you were afraid of heights."  
  
"There's a lot of things that you don't know about me," I muttered and leaned against the railing, looking down into the pool.   
  
"I'm sure you're wondering why I took you up here."  
  
"Somewhat," I replied honestly. He sighed.   
  
"I didn't bring you up here to sleep with you. I just wanted to hang out alone." I looked at him. Either he was a really good actor, or he was truly being honest. I softened. "I really like being around you. I'm sure my friends have filled you in on some of the stuff that I do." I shook my head. "I'm trying to change my ways. I graduated with a 2.8. GPA with close to failing grades. All I cared about was partying and sports." I had just remembered that Andrew was on most of the varsity sports teams.   
  
"But I really care about you," he continued. He took my breath away and tears came to my eyes. No one had truly cared about me besides my parents. I couldn't help but throwing my arms around his neck and burying my face in his chest. He rubbed my back.   
  
"I hope you care about me," he said. I looked up at him.   
  
"Of course I do. I mean, I've only known you for a while, but I still care about you," I explained. He lifted my chin and kissed me. Explosions of fireworks and stars literally filled my eyes. He wrapped his arms around me and trailed his finger down my spine. I shivered as his lips traveled down to my neck and shoulders. The door suddenly flew open, and in stepped Cassie and Lilly. Cassie's smile was the biggest I had ever seen on her.   
  
"I figured as much," Cassie said, looking over at Lilly. She nodded.   
  
"Shut up Cassandra," Andrew snapped. Cassie snickered.   
  
"What did I tell you June? You have to watch out for him," Cassie slurred. I walked over to her.   
  
"Shut up! He wasn't doing anything!" I yelled. She only smiled cruelly.   
  
"Sure, you just want someone that loves you and who is really who they say they are." I looked at her.   
  
"What?"  
  
"Cassie, you're drunk, you don't even know what you're talking about," Andrew roared.   
  
"I know what I'm talking about. Your parents adopted you." I froze and then rolled my eyes.   
  
"Sure Cassie."  
  
"It's true!" Lilly cried. "I know about it. A lot of people know about it." Andrew stepped toward Cassandra and Lilly.  
  
"You're both drunk. She wasn't adopted. There's too close of a resemblance. Now get the hell out of here," he announced and pointed to the door. Cassie snickered, Lilly giggled and together they walked out of the room. Andrew slammed the door and I took a seat on the bed. I didn't even realize that I was shivering until I looked at my hand.   
  
"Are you OK?" Andrew asked. I shook my head and started to tremble.   
  
"Come on, I'm going to take you home," he decided and helped me up. I threw my arm around his shoulder and tried to walk by myself but my legs were wobbly. He helped me downstairs and out the front door. Others around us assumed that we were drunk and didn't pay us any attention. Alex walked up to us.   
  
"Hey, leaving so soon?" He asked.   
  
"Yeah, we're going to head out," Andrew said. He didn't explain what had happened.   
  
"All right. I'll see you tomorrow," Alex said and walked away. We got to the car and I sat in the drivers seat. Andrew shook his head.   
  
"I'm going to drive. You're too upset," he explained. I slid over in the seat and he started the car and sped off. He reached over and grabbed my hand once we got onto the main road.   
  
"You OK?" Andrew asked. I nodded.   
  
"I don't know why I was so shaken up about it thought. I mean, I know that they are my real parents, but something about the way Cassie said it make me have the chills," I explained. He shrugged.   
  
"You know it's not true. So forget about it," he said. We pulled up to the house quicker than I had expected. He got out of the car and came over to kiss me goodnight.   
  
"Get some sleep," he said and kissed my cheek. I nodded and ran into the house. Mommy and Daddy were already asleep, and I was grateful for that. I ran up to my room, changed my clothes, and dove into my bed to go to sleep. 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
I was a disaster in the morning, and that wasn't how I wanted to start my morning. I had to get my hair done and be prepared for Prom night. Mother noticed my fatigue at the breakfast table and questioned me about it.  
  
"Oh, it was just nothing," I lied, covering my face with my coffee mug. "I just came home later than I expected." She nodded and turned back to what she was doing. Brian trampled down the stairs and looked at me.  
  
"Eww, were you hit by a train?" He sneered, sitting down in chair and setting down his model airplane. I ignored the comment and just sipped at my orange juice.  
  
"Brian! Please stop it!" Mom exclaimed. Daddy came downstairs.  
  
"Brian, stop terrorizing your sister," he commanded, and Brian shrunk in his seat.  
  
"What's terrorizing?" He asked, cocking his head to the side, a mannerism he usually did when he was curious about something.   
  
"Um. . ." Daddy looked at me for an answer.  
  
"Yelling, screaming, being annoying, causing harm," I rattled off the many definitions. Daddy beamed, and Brian smirked as Mommy brought in the breakfast.  
  
"You're hairdresser will be here in an hour," Mommy announced. I nodded and picked up two eggs to put on my plate. Brian picked it up with his fingers, and Mommy scolded him for it.  
  
"Use your silverware," she snapped, and he picked up his fork and began to eat.  
  
"How was the party?" Daddy asked casually. I nearly choked on the piece of egg that I had in my mouth, and I sat up straight.  
  
"It was . . . fun," I said, shrugging. "Nothing too special." Daddy beamed and drank his coffee.  
  
"Are you excited about prom?" Mom inquired. I wanted them to stop asking questions, but I didn't want to seem suspicious.  
  
"Definitely. I've been waiting for this for a long time," I said, putting as much emotion into it as I could muster. Mommy grinned. Brian took more bites of his breakfast and stood up with his airplane.  
  
"I didn't say that you could be excused Brian," Daddy spoke up, raising his voice level a little. Brian paused.  
  
"May I be excused?" He mumbled. Daddy rolled his eyes and nodded. Brian giggled and ran out into the backyard to ruin that new toy that Daddy had bought him. This was the only opportunity I had to talk with them about what Cassie and Lilly had said last night. I set my fork down and cleared my throat. They both looked up from their meals.  
  
"I have something to tell you both," I said softly. Mommy looked worried, and Daddy turned his face to stone.  
  
"What's wrong?" Mommy asked breathlessly.  
  
"When I was at the party last night, I was told something that disturbed me. . . " I trailed off, chewing on my lip.  
  
"What was it?" Daddy insisted. Mommy's face was twisted in a state of confusion and wonder.  
  
"Cassie told me last night that I wasn't your birth child; that I was adopted," I confessed. Mommy stared at me blankly and then started to laugh.  
  
"Oh June," she chuckled. "Haven't I told you never to believe anything that those two have told you? Why, they told you that if you put glue in your hair, your hair could be styled any way you wanted it to," she recalled. I grimaced at the memory, but I put that at the back of my mind. "They were probably drunk anyway."  
  
"I don't want you hanging around them tonight, especially tonight," Daddy announced. I looked down at the table.  
  
"But there my best friends Daddy," I said in a near-whisper. His eyes grew hot and angry.  
  
"You will not be around them tonight, at all. Is that clear?" His tone made me feel awful, but I nodded anyway.  
  
"Rick," Mommy muttered under her breath.  
  
"You know you weren't adopted June, and I don't want to hear such talk," he bellowed. I sucked back my tears and shoved my plate across the table.  
  
"May I be excused?" I choked. Daddy didn't answer and Mommy was glaring at Dad.  
  
"Yes, you may be excused," she hissed, and I fluttered from the table and up to my room and buried my face into my pillow. I heard Mommy and Daddy talking downstairs, and I tried to ignore it, so I went into my bathroom and shut the door, running the sink and splashing water on my face to wake me up. Finally, someone knocked on my door and let themselves in.  
  
"June?" I heard Mom call softly, and I slowly pried open the door and poked my head out. She gestured for me to come toward her and I inched out of the bathroom.  
  
"I'm sorry about what happened downstairs," she began. "He got too upset." I nodded in agreement and sat down on my bed slowly.  
  
"The point that I'm trying to make was, you weren't adopted," she said, smiling weakly. I shrugged helplessly. She suddenly broke out into a beaming smile and threw her arm around me. "C'mon, I think the hairdresser might be here early," she said. We stood up and walked downstairs together. The hairdresser was here, and Daddy was standing there, talking to her.  
  
"Ah, Molly Parker! How nice to see you again!" She exclaimed, running towards Mommy and hugging her. Mommy turned to me.  
  
"June, this is Nita LeBlanc. She's one of the best hairstylist in Colorado Springs," She introduced. I smiled.  
  
"Well, let us get to work!" Nita cried and pulled me upstairs into my bathroom. She sat me down on a stool Mommy brought upstairs and circled around me, picking up a lock of my hair and inspecting it.  
  
"Hmm . . . you take care of your hair very well, I see," she muttered.  
  
"Yes," I replied. Nita folded her hands across her chest and sighed.  
  
"Well, lets get started. First, we wash," she said and reached into her bag for bottles of shampoo and conditioner. "Kneel by the tub and run some hot water." I did as she instructed and she put a glob of shampoo in my hair, gently massaging it into my hair. She let it sit for a minute, and then helped me rinse it out. She let my hair sit for a minute, and then reached over and pulled out a bottle of conditioner. She poured another glob into her palm, and rubbed it into my hair. After a minute, she rinsed it out and sat me up.  
  
"OK. Do you have any specific style?"  
  
"Um, not really. Nothing too short though," I said. Nita smiled and reached over into her bag for her scissors.  
  
"Let us go to work then." She snipped and trimmed and styled for nearly two hours. Finally, she took her hands away from my head and turned to see me from my frontal view. She grinned.  
  
"Look," she commanded, and pulled out a mirror. I gazed in the mirror with awe and surprise. She had trimmed my hair so that it was to about my shoulders and was curled at the ends to that it was brushing along my cheek. She had added a few misplaced highlights which really brought out the color in my hair.  
  
"It's. .. gorgeous!" I cried, reaching up to touch it.  
  
"Touch it all you want," Nita said. Mom had left the room when Nita had began, and now Nita called her back in.  
  
"Come see your daughter!" she exclaimed, and Mommy opened the door with a gasp.  
  
"It's looks beautiful!" She squealed, clapping her hands together. I smiled.  
  
"Well, I think my work here is done," Nita said, brushing her hands off. "Good luck tonight."  
  
"Thank you," I emphasized as she gathered her things together and left the room. I turned around and stared in my mirror. It almost brought tears to my eyes because I was this beautiful. Finally, I had gotten what I wanted: Self confidence.  
  
The hours seemed to fly by, and I only had 15 minutes until Andrew was coming to pick me up. I had put on my dress, a light cornflower blue dress with tiny rhinestones on the bodice. Mom said that it really brought my eyes out. She let me borrow a dark sapphire necklace Dad had bought her for one of their anniversaries, and the pair of earrings to match. I gazed at myself in the mirror, and I felt like Cinderella, and the dress that I was wearing was going to be ripped off as soon as it struck the hour of midnight, but I kept telling myself that this was real. I was waiting upstairs when Andrew rang the doorbell, and I nearly jumped out of my seat. I decided to make a grand entrance when mommy called for me.  
  
"June! Andrew is here!" she yelled. I smoothed out my dressed, reached for my handbag, and opened the door to my room as softly as I could. I could see him waiting at the foot of the stairs, and his eyes lit up with appreciation as I walked as gracefully as I could downstairs. He took my hand and spun me around. I truly felt like a princess when he looked at me.  
  
"I have your corsage, my lady," he said. He was wearing a black tuxedo with a red rose tucked into the breast pocket. He opened up a box and pulled out my corsage. I beamed as he put it on my wrist.  
  
"Well, then, you two have a good time. Oh! First let me get a few pictures. Rick! Come out here and see your daughter!" Mom cried and reached over for her camera.  
  
"Mom," I groaned, blushing. Andrew shrugged.  
  
"I don't mind," he said, and put his arm around my waist and posed for the camera. Dad walked into the foyer and looked over at Mom, then me.  
  
"You look just like your mother when she was in high school," he said. My cheeks turned a darker shade of red.  
  
"OK, smile!" Mommy yelped and snapped a picture. Daddy got in behind us and placed his large hand on my shoulder. Mom took a few more, then stopped.  
  
"OK, have a good time," Mom said and kissed my cheek. I hugged Daddy, and Andrew pulled me out of the house and over to the driveway where a black limo was waiting.  
  
"Andrew!" I chastised.  
  
"I had to go all out June. I knew you would look good, and I wanted to," he said. The driver that was waiting by the door opened it and helped me in.  
  
"Thank you," I mumbled and sat down. Andrew sat beside me and instantly put his arm around my waist.  
  
"You really look beautiful," he murmured as the driver shut the door. His lips were close to my neck and I shivered.  
  
"Cold?" He asked, ready to peel off his jacket.  
  
"No," I squeaked and he smiled. The driver started, and I looked out my window as we drove. Andrew kissed my cheek and rested his head on my shoulder. I tried to savor every moment of this night just as it was happening. I would write it all down later in my diary later anyway.  
  
"We're here," Andrew announced, and the driver opened our door. Andrew got out, and extended his hand so that I wouldn't trip as I got out. I stepped out of the car and gasped.  
  
Hundreds of people were standing outside the hotel, waiting for their friends or dates to arrive, or to see the glitz or the glamor of it all. Andrew looped his arm with mine and escorted me inside. Inside the lobby, people were standing around, talking and drinking punch.  
  
"Now what?" I asked, looking around. I had never been to any of the school dances, and I didn't know what to do. Andrew laughed out loud.  
  
"C'mon, I'll show you," he said and tugged me along. I didn't know how he was going to show me, but I shrugged and followed as he pulled me through the crowds. Finally, we were at the foot of the grand staircase. I gulped.  
  
"I bought us a room," he said, leaping forward and walking up the stairs. "Come on up. I'm sure you want to put your purse down anyway," he called.  
  
I exhaled and started to make my way up the stairs. He made a right and ran down the hallway to the last room on the right. He pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door.  
  
"I got one of the better rooms," He said, and I stepped in. It had maroon, gold and white pinstripe wallpaper, and the bedsheets were colored dark red. Andrew went and jumped on the bed obnoxiously. I put my purse in the corner of the room and stood there embarrassingly. He smiled impishly.  
  
"Come here kid," he said and gestured for me to walk over to him. He stood up and grabbed my waist.  
  
"You look oh so good in that dress, and your hair is beautiful," he complimented, and I blushed so hard I thought I was going to faint. Nobody in my life had ever told me that I was beautiful. Well, not a boy at least, I thought. His lips dove to my neck, and he started kissing me. Tingling sensations ran up and down my spine as he did, and I felt the urge to wrap my arms around him, but I resisted. He reached for the zipper on the back of my dress, and that's when I went to pull away.  
  
"Hey!" He cried, but I shook my head. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I knew that was the reason that you wanted me to come up here," I said, tears stinging my eyes. But I wouldn't dare cry in front of him. That would show that I was weak, and that would give him the better advantage. I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed.  
  
"June, it's prom night!" He groaned. I spun on him and he backed away.  
  
"And you think just because it is prom, that means I should throw away everything I've achieve?" I asked him. He didn't answer. "Just because it's prom doesn't mean you have to show off to your friends. Just because everyone else is doing it, doesn't mean you have to, and if that's what I am, some kind of trophy from prom, then I'm not going to deal with it. That's not how I'm going to be treated!" I cried and started for the door, but he bolted there before I got a chance to reach the doorknob.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, pressing his hand to the handle. My heart sunk into the pit of my stomach. I had known that Andrew was very strong, and he could easily lift me with one hand. But I tried to look intimidating.  
  
"I'm getting out of here. I know exactly what your plans are, and you can't sweet talk you way out of it this time!" I hissed, trying to shove him aside so that I could get past. But he bounced back and grabbed my wrists, squeezing them until it almost hurt. I squeaked. The look on his face was enough to put tears in my eyes. I had never seen this side of him before. He had gotten a crazed look on his face, and his smile was just too eerie. I sniffled as we walked back to the bed and he sat me down.  
  
"You listen to me," He said, grabbing my face with his hand. I felt the tears burning underneath my eyelids, but I wouldn't cry, I just wouldn't! What was he going to say? There was nothing he could really say . . . to me at least. "You aren't my trophy, you're none of that. And I don't know where you get that idea from. You are my date because I love you very much, and I think you're so beautiful," he whispered in my ear. I couldn't believe him. But I had wanted to so badly.  
  
"How can you love me . . ." I trailed.  
  
"I see the things you do, and you are the one I want to be with," he finished. I couldn't help but let a fugitive tear out of my well of tears. He brushed it away.   
  
"Why are you crying?" he questioned. I scoffed.  
  
"You scared me!" I cried. "Seeing how you looked, it terrified me," I said softly. He frowned.  
  
"I didn't mean to scare you," he said in my ear. "I just. . . I'm just not very good with the ladies," he admitted. My eyes widened.  
  
"You? I. . . "  
  
Yeah, everyone thinks that I'm just this great big ladies man," he blurted. "But I'm really not. Ugh," he groaned. "I don't want to talk about it. If you want to leave, then leave." He pointed to the door. I looked at him, then back at the door, and at that point decided that I didn't want to leave him here. He flopped on his back, and leaned over and gently kissed him on the lips. He opened his eyes, looking surprised, and leaned up to kiss me back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he put me into his arms, pulling me onto his lap. He rained kisses all over my face, his hands going up to caress my shoulders. I pulled away hesitantly and smiled.  
  
"Let's go back downstairs. . . I'm sure we're missing important stuff," I said, and I went into the bathroom to freshen up before going back downstairs.  
  
Down in the lobby, the band had started playing again, and people were sitting down at the tables, eating dinner and drinking punch. Andrew pulled me over to one of the tables all of his friends were sitting at, and we sat down. I felt out of place hanging around them, but I tried my best to make friends.  
  
Soon things began to grow boring, and I whispered that into Andrew's ear. He looked at me like I was crazy.  
  
"June, how could this get boring?" He asked. I shrugged.  
  
"Is this all you do?" He shrugged.  
  
"Basically," he muttered. I sighed.  
  
"I'm going upstairs to get my purse," I said and went upstairs to retrieve it. I looked at the room one last time and then went to meet Andrew at the front doors.  
  
"I'm sorry you didn't have a good time," Andrew said as we were walking back to the limo.  
  
"I did, I just thought that there would be more to it," I replied. The driver opened the door and let us in. Once the door was shut, Andrew turned to me.  
  
"I'm sorry about earlier," he said, slipping his arm around my waist. I didn't reply, instead, sets of shivers ran up my spine.  
  
"What?" Andrew asked.  
  
"Nothing, I'm just getting a weird feeling," I said, rubbing myself to keep warm. I rested my head on Andrew's shoulder and waited until we had arrived at my house. Andrew walked me up to the door and kissed me goodnight.  
  
"I had a great time. Thank you," I said and wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a great big hug. He grinned.  
  
"Call me," he said and walked back to the limo. He crawled in and the limo sped off. I fished through my purse for my keys, and opened the door.  
  
"Mommy! Daddy! I'm home!" I cried as I walked through the house. They were in the den, talking. Daddy stood up to greet me.  
  
"Hey, um, why don't you go upstairs and change out of that dress? We want to talk to you," he instructed. I couldn't see Mommy because she was sitting with her back to me. I ran upstairs and changed into my pajamas, and then ran back into the den. Mommy was on the chaise lounge, a towel draped over her forehead. Her eyes were red and UN-wiped tears still lingered on her cheeks. My heart beat faster.  
  
"What's wrong?" I asked. Daddy stood up.  
  
"You might want to sit down," he advised. I slowly took a seat on the couch. Mommy sat up and wrung her hands.  
  
"What's wrong?" I repeated, darting my eyes to Daddy.  
  
"Do you remember when Cassandra and Lilly said that you were adopted?" My heart sank and I felt sick to my stomach. "Goodness, this wasn't a good approach," Dad muttered, shaking his head.  
  
"Please . . . go on," I pleaded. He sighed.  
  
"June, I guess what I'm trying to say is that you really are adopted."  
  
I blinked at him. What was he saying? Was this some kind of dream? I started to shake, and Mom straightened her posture.  
  
"A long, long time ago, you're real mother was in a very bad situation. Her boyfriend was abusing her, she didn't have much money, and she had 4 little girls."  
  
I leaped up from the couch. "4 little girls!" I cried. My head suddenly felt light and my dinner wanted to resurface. Daddy nodded, and Mom paled.  
  
"Please tell me that this is all a dream," I said as tears pooled in my eyes. "It has to be."  
  
"I'm sorry that it isn't," Daddy mumbled. I sat down and buried my face in my hands. Dad went over to the oak desk that sat in the corner and took some papers out of the middle drawer. He walked over to me and handed them to me.  
  
"This is your birth certificate, adoption papers and a letter that she addressed to you." I took it out of his hand and glanced at it briefly before looking up at him. I saw his face turn into an ugly frown, and I knew that he was holding back tears.  
  
D "This is your birth certificate, adoption papers and a letter that she addressed to you." I took it out of his hand and glanced at it briefly before looking up at him. I saw his face turn into an ugly frown, and I knew that he was holding back tears.  
  
"Daddy, I don't understand," I whispered hoarsely, my throat closing up, tears clouding my vision.  
  
"Your mother was a volunteer at the orphanage, and when your mother had arrived to . . . well, afterward, she grew very attached to you and your sisters. But soon, others had come to adopt the children, and you and one of your other sisters were left. Your mother saw how painful it was for you to be all alone, so we. . . " he trailed off and turned away as a tear slipped down his cheek. Mommy looked up at the mention of her name, and she was close to crying too.  
  
I sniffled. "Why wasn't I sent to live with my other sisters?" I asked softly.  
  
"The adoption agency's don't care much about pairing siblings together. They just want as many children to get out of the orphanage," Mommy finally spoke, and we both looked over at her. Tears dripped on the floor, and Mommy shook her head.  
  
"I should have told you sooner. . ."  
  
"Mommy," I said, she looked up, and fell back on the chaise lounge, her eyes rolled back into her head.  
  
"Anna!" Dad cried and ran over to her. I started to sob so hard that my shoulders shook and I was gasping for air. Mom returned to consciousness, and I sprawled onto the couch and curled into a little ball.  
  
How could this be real? How could I be adopted? This wasn't imaginable! The resemblance was too strong, the feelings were to genuine, for me to be adopted! I sobbed relentlessly, even as Dad, or the father I knew tried to control me, but I just couldn't sob. As if it were going to help me at all; to make the truth into a lie.  
  
"June!" He ferociously yelled in my ear, but I pushed him away and sobbed. How I wanted to flee into his arms and just cry. But I just couldn't, after what he had told me. I had no one to run to, to trust with all of my secrets. Reality stings when it hits, and that leaves a permanent mark on you forever. I stood up and ran out of the door, grabbing my car keys and climbing into my brand new car, starting the engine and peeling out of the garage wildly, screeching tires echoing down the street.  
  
I drove; I didn't know where I was going, but I drove forward, sobbing still. It seemed that I was going in the direction of Andrew's house, but I didn't know exactly where he lived, so I went out onto the main street. I drove madly, almost wrecking that beautiful new car, but I kept my composure and pulled over to the side of the road, turning off my engine and crying. How was this possible?  
  
"No, no, no, no," I repeated over and over. I tried to imagine this as a beautiful dream gone horribly wrong. Why had this happened to me? Was this destiny? Was this meant to happen? I shook my head. This couldn't be true!   
  
Slowly, my eyelids started to droop, and I could help but curling up in the back-seat of the car and crying myself into what seemed an everlasting sleep.  
  



	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
I woke up to the back-seat window being tapped on endlessly. I shot up and looked around. How did I get here? And why was I sleeping. A police officer knocked on the window again with his club, and I rolled down the window.  
  
"Miss. . . are you alright?" He asked. I nodded, running my fingers through my hair which was still styled and ready from prom. Just then, a horibble feeling dropped into the pit of my stomach, and I was ready to vomit. "Miss?"  
  
"Oh, yes, I'm sorry. I fell asleep on my way home. I apologize," I said, crawling into the front seat. He shrugged.  
  
"I saw your car parked off of the main road, and I thought someone had abandoned it. I'm glad to see you're OK. Hurry on home, I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you," he said and strode away. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths before sticking the keys into the ignition and starting the car. If I knew who my parents were, I thought bitterly as I drove onto the main road. I wasn't far from my house, but as I drove up to the driveway, I felt so sick that I had to stop for a minute and breathe deeply. I parked the car and walked inside, my knees knocking and my lips trembling. I shut the door as quietly as I could and crept up the stairs, but Daddy was ready and waiting to find me.  
  
"June! Where have you been!" He bellowed as I ran into him. I trembled in response, and he brought his arms around me to embrace me, but I just stood there like an idiot.  
  
"I went out," I replied dully. He pulled away and looked at me.  
  
"Where, and what kept you out so late?"  
  
"I pulled over to the side of the road and I fell asleep accidentally," I explained, my voice quivering. He shook his head and walked away. I walked into the den. I didn't even notice the legal papers that were sitting on the couch. I floated over to them and picked them up, glancing at the letter that was unopened and addressed to me. I went into Dad's office and pulled out the letter opener and shredded the evenlope open, and unfolded the letter.  
  
June-  
  
I don't know how to explain this to you easily, but I'm sure by now that your parents have told you of your true past.  
  
Years after I write this letter, I'm sure you'll be wanting to find me, but I don't even know where I might be after I write this. And I'm sure you will not want to find me. Your parents are very loving and caring toward you, and I hope you wont come to seek me out. You'll be dissapointed in your search.  
  
You and your sisters are all split apart; but coincedentally, you all happen to live in the same city, probably in the same resedential area. You might have even walked past each other and not have even known that it was your true birth sister. I hope one day, you will all be reunited together.  
  
Please accept my words when I say I'm sorry, and that I wish I could have lived with you forever and ever, but things are not going to well, and I had to think of your futures. I wanted you to have the best life you could ever have, and I hope that is what your life is like.  
  
Love,  
  
Mother  
  
Mother?! No name, address, not even a metion of my true birthfather! Angry tears welled in my eyes, but I wouldn't let them ruin the page. I read the letter over and over again, like it would give me the answers I wanted, but I ended up throwing the letter on the couch and picked up my birth certificate. They had kept my real birth name, but even on the birth certificate, I couldn't find my parents names! They were erased, blacked out so that I couldn't even find one letter of their names! My heart wrenched in anger as I looked over the adoption papaers, and even then, they had to have their real name! And then I was unlucky in that search also, because they had been blocked out! I grunted angrily and marched up the stairs to my parents bedroom and pounded on the door.  
  
"Yes?" Dad asked.  
  
"I need to talk to you," I called through the door. He opened it and looked at me.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked. I thrust the papers in his hand.  
  
"You didn't want me to find them, didn't you?" I cried, walking into his room. Mom was still asleep, and he urged me to be quiet. He went into his sitting room and shut their bedroom door.  
  
"Honestly June, I didn't erase names or anything. Your mother pleaded with me to keep quiet about her identity," he explained.  
  
"But why?" I hissed, burying my face into the cradle of my hands.  
  
"Because she didn't want you to find her, or your sisters,"  
  
"Obviously," I mumbled sarcastically, and I heard his impatient sigh; a mannerism that he usually did with Brian.  
  
"Tell me who she is; what what she like? How did she marry my father? How are my sisters? Where are they?" I rattled off questions in shotgun order, and he crumpled into his chair.  
  
"June, I don't know everything," he implied, and I slapped my thighs as I stood up and walked over to him.  
  
"You have to know at least something about her! You were there! You had to sign the papers, you had to take me away from them!" I said frustratedly. He sighed and ran his fingers through his light hair.  
  
"June, I promised her that I wouldn't tell you anything!" I started to sob, and I pathetically threw myself at his feet.  
  
"Daddy, please, I need to know how it happened! I had to know what she was like!" I sobbed, pounding the ground with my balled fists. I could be a real brat when I wanted something, but this I had to know!  
  
"She was in a lot of trouble," he suddenly shouted. I looked up at him and silenced my sobs. "She had many a run in with the police, and she was only fourteen when she became pregnant with your older sister." At that moment, I wondered who my older sister was and how much older she was. "Her boyfried was into drugs and came home drunk all the time. Your paternal grandmother was hardly home, and somehow, your mother had managed to do all of this before her 17th birthday." My eyes widened.  
  
"By the time all 4 of you were born, her mother had kicked her out, and she went to live with her boyfriend in a town close by. They rented an apartment, and your father had tried to get a job, but all he managed to do was sell cocaine in the back alley and pimp the streets." Normally, if he weren't so serious, I would have started to laugh, but I took him seriously and continued to listen. "About. . . 2 months later, your paternal father started to make threats to your mother, and she had tried to run to her parents, but they would not accept her. So she ran to the goodwill and a center for abused women. She then was forced to give up her daughters." Tears came to my eyes.  
  
"Where is she now?" I whispered. Hopefully, she was close by.  
  
"Honestly, I don't know. When we had signed the final papers, she hadn't given us an address. She said, 'I don't want them to find me or my boyfriend. God only knows where I'll be in a few years'. After that, she walked out of the door of the adoption agency, and as far as we know, nobody had heard a word from her." I sat up and wipe tears away from my cheeks. "And that's all I know."   
  
"What was her name?" My voice suddenly went cold.  
  
"I cannot tell you that June. I promised her that I wouldn't, and I'm not going to."  
  
"Daddy, please," I pleaded, looking up at him with the saddest eyes I could manage, which was not very hard. He looked away.  
  
"I'm not going to tell you. Now, go. I have work to catch up on," he said and walked out of the room, stepping over me and leaving me ther on the floor. I pulled myself up and went into my room and sat on my bed, thinking.  
  
All of my life, I had been known as the good girl, the one that nobody could expect anything bad from. I was always smart, and talented, and gifted in anyway possible. But somehow, I knew that taking a walk on the wild side would prove that I wasn't always good. The sudden idea sparked in my head, and I felt that this was something I needed to do. My parents had told me the secret that they had kept from me for 18 years, and it had angered me to think that they had done that. My thoughts aren't making any sense!  
  
I rant to my closet and pulled out the shortest skirt I had, which was threateningly short, and the smallest blouse I could find and changed into them. I let down my hair which was still styled from prom, and it tumbled down. I put on makeup, rouge and liptstick that was dark. In all, I knew that I had looked wild and sexy, and I snuck out of the house and took my new mercedes down to the pool hall where I knew that kids hung out, especially from my school. I parked, sighed nervously, and walked isnide, catching the eyes of many men as I did so. I heard some gasps from some of the people I knew, and immediately, Lilly and Cassandra ran up to me, their eyes wide.  
  
"What in Gods name. . . " Lilly drawled as she looked me over. I smiled.  
  
"What are you, insane?" Cassie yelled. I shrugged.  
  
"I'm sick of being the good kid," I explained simply, and a guy walked over to me and pinched my bottom. My instinct was to turn around and confront him, but I turned around and smiled. . . at Andrew! I nearly died, but I held my head high. I could see that he was shocked, just absolutely shocked!  
  
"June!" He cried, pulling me aside. "What the hell are you doing?" I shifted my eyes away nervously. "And why are you dressed like that?"  
  
"I- I was sick of being Miss Valedictorian," I stuttered, looking around and hoping that I would just run out of the building. His eyes suddenly lit up.  
  
"Well, then, if you want to retry our relationship. . ." He wasn't making any sense! Finally, after a few seconds, I realized what he was talking about. Instead of being appaled, I smiled and whispered in his ear.  
  
"Maybe later tonight," I whispered. His eyes gleamed with appreciation.  
  
"Your house. Make sure that your parents aren't home," he whispered back. I trembled, but I took on a different personality just at that moment.  
  
"OK then. I call you," I said and kissed him. Men whistled and girls gasped, but without looking at them, I fled out of the pool and fled to my car, crying silently to myself, and I drove home. I had hoped that Daddy was really busy and Mom was asleep so that I could bring Andrew home like I said I would. I ran up to my room and ransacked through my entire wardrobe to find something appealing enough without making it seem too overdone. I found a slender dress hidden in the back of my closet, and I didn't even know how it had gotten there. And it was Red. Red; the color of harlots, whore, tasteless women. But I put it on, and there was a knock on my door. I jumped up and put my robe on, wiping off my make up quickly and answered the door.  
  
"Your mother and I are going out tonight. There is a charity ball that we must attend and we are just about ready to leave. Are you going to be all right by yourself?" Dad asked. My heart plunged into the pit of my stomach. That would mean that Andrew had to come over! I gulped and nodded.  
  
"Definently," I blurted. He grinned.  
  
"See you later tonight." He kissed my cheek and shut the door. I flung myself onto my bed and sobbed for a few minutes, then went to my vanity mirror and carefully applied makeup, making sure not to overdo it, but to slightly show myself off. The dress was quite revealing, and luckily I had a good figure to flaunt. I looked at the clock. I thought that it was late enough to call him, so I picked up the reciever and dialed Andrew's number with trembling fingers.  
  
"Hello?" He answered after two rings. I gasped silently.  
  
"Andrew," I said in my most seductive tone. I could feel his smile radiating through the phone.  
  
"Well June, I almost thought that you weren't going to call."   
  
"Well, you thought wrong." At that moment, I felt that a new surge of confidence filled me up, and I was no longer scared or trembling. "Conveniently, my parents had a charity ball to go to tonight, and I'm all alone. Why don't you come over?"  
  
"I think I just might. I'll be over in a few minutes," he said and hung up.  
  
I sat at my vanity table, making myself look as perfect as I could. I heard Brian running through the house, and I remebered that I had to get rid of him. I walked out of my room, wallet in hand, and smiled athim.  
  
"Why are you dressed up?" He asked.  
  
"Because someone is coming over. And I need you to do me a really big favor," I said, stooping down to his level.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I need you to stay downstairs for me," I commanded. He frowned.  
  
"I don't wanna," he protested, pouting his lower lip. I groaned.  
  
"What if I gave you 5 dollars?" I questioned, opening my wallet and waving a crisp 5 dollar bill in front of his face. He snatched it from my hand. "And you can't tell mom and dad."  
  
"How come?"  
  
"Because they don't know." He looked at the bill and smiled.  
  
"OK, I won't," he promised and walked away. I sighed with relief and I heard the doorbell ring. Brian ran off into the backyard and shut the door. I ran to the door and slowly opened it, glancing at him like I didn't know who it was.  
  
"Andrew!" I cried, warpping my arms aorund him. "How nice it is to see you." He beamed and walked inside of the house. He finally noticed my dress and locked eyes with me.  
  
"You look absolutely gorgeous in that dress," he complimented, smiling impishly. I blushed.  
  
"Let's go into the living room," I said and dragged him inside, sitting him down on the couch. I grinned and reached for the remote and turned on the TV, curling up next to him and sighing.  
  
"Why are you so beautiful?" He asked me, his lips tickling my cheek. I giggled helplessly. I turned toward him and instantly he was kissing me. My body responded to him, and I was just as sexually hungry as he was. His hands were attacking my body in the nicest way, carresing and kissing. But deep down inside the depths of my heart I knew this was all wrong. I knew it, but I kept doing it anyway. Andrew lifted me up and carried me up into my room, somehow knowing where it was. He tossed me onto the bed and came at me ferrociously, starting to take of that red dress I was wearing. And to show him that I was just as eager, I pulled on the buttons of his shirt and dropped it to the floor, looking at his abs as he sat me up and slid the dress off of my body.  
  
"Andrew," I whispered. "Did you bring. . . ?"  
  
"A condom?" He asked, pulling it out of his back pocket. I stared at him for a moment, and kissed him, slipping out of my dress and draping it over my chair. He kissed my stomach and unclipped my bra and kissed my breasts, and I let out a small moan. He looked up at me and smiled and brought my lips to his.  
  
All this time, I thought the first time that I made love would be the most memorable moment of my life, but now it was all going downhill! And I was letting it happen! What was I doing? Stop!  
  
He had already yanked off my bikini bottoms and was working on his own clothing. I closed my eyes, welcoming his touch, his kisses, the way he looked at me made me feel giddy. Finally, I heard a wrapper rip and Andrew positioned himself and dove in.  
  
I nearly screamed! I wretched underneath his body, but he didn't seem to mind. I could feel my skin beginning to tear, and I felt the blood rush out of my body. I groaned in pain and whimpered. It seemed never ending, and I wanted to yell and scream and beat my fists on his to get off of me, but I let him have his way. I shivered, and I felt the tears come to my eyes and fall down my cheeks. This seemed to go on for more than it was supposed to, but finally, he trembled, and collapsed near me. I quivered and cried silently, and he tried to pull me into his arms, but I pushed him away.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked. I shook my head. He leaned over and tried to see what was wrong, but I reached for my clothing and started to get dressed. I ached.  
  
"So this was just somewhat of a one night stand?" He asked angrily. I sniffled in response and clipped my bra. "Fine." He got his clothes on, and he left without even saying goobye. I sobbed and clutched my pillows helplessly. Brian came into my room, and he saw me crying.  
  
"What's wrong?" he cried, running over to me and wrapping his arms around me. I clung to him helplessly.   
  
"Nothing, it's just that I had my feelings hurt," I said. How could I explain to him what just happened to me? I held my little brother that wasn't even my little brother, and I sobbed.  
  
"I'll go beat him up, and then my A16's will blow him up!" He said angrily. I laughed and held him closer to me.  
  
"No, It's OK, I'm feeling better already," I said, wiping away all of my tears and smiling through a curtian of depression that was closing itsself around me.  
  
"Okay," he said and ran downstairs, shutting the door. And after making sure that he was gone, I started to really cry.  
  
I knew that I was pitying myself for what was happening to me, but who wouldn't be sorry! I wanted to crawl into a hole and just die, that's how miserable I was! I wanted to tell someone about this, to really express my feelings to someone, but nobody would listen! Especially after what happened today! How I acted, dressed, talked! I made myself sick just to think about it. I sniffed and sobbed and moaned out loud. Now the pain inside of me was beginning to get exscruciatingly bad, and I wanted to scream and just die right there!  
  
I picked myself up and went into my bathroom and ran some hot water for a shower, and undressed and stepped inside, the water burning me, but I ignored it and scrubbed my body; where he had kissed me, touched me, everywhere imaginable! I stood in the shower for a few minutes before getting out and wraping a large fluffy towel around myself and sat down on the toilet seat and sobbed.  
  
My days passed endlessly, and all started with crying and sobbing. Of course, I had never told my parents what happened to me, but I couldn't bring myself to tell them! It still made me feel horrible about myself, and Andrew called a few times, but I never answered the phone. I knew he wanted more of what he had gotten, but I was never going to talk to him ever again.  
  
My diary entries were getting longer and more depressing everyday. I filled the small book with the horrid events of that day and how I felt. It was my best friend; my conselour.  
  
Many weeks later, Mommy knocked on the door when I was in my sobbing mood, and I stopped and opened the door.  
  
"April, you've been crying," she said, frowning. "What's wrong?" She had wanted to wak into my room and to sit down and talk, but I wouldn't let her.  
  
"Just thinking. What is it?" I asked, sniffling and pasting on a fake smile.  
  
"A letter came from you. A girl name April. . . Sanders." She looked at the address, and I took it from her hand. "Do you know who it is?"  
  
"Um. . . " I looked at the letter again. She lived in Colorado Springs, which made me wonder who she was. "Yeah. Thanks." I closed the door softly and turned around and ripped open the letter, trying not to rip the return address.  
  
June-  
  
I'm sure you're wondering who I am and why I'm writting to you, but I think by now that you know I'm one of your sisters.  
  
I know how you feel, believe me. I had the news just broken to me recently. My name's April, by the way. . .  
  
I've been thinking about this whole. . . sister thing, and it's really weird. I don't have any other brothers and sisters, and I grew up with a Mother that was almost beauty obsessed, and a father was in the Armed forces. So you can say I didn't get much love in my childhood. But if I had lived with my real mom and my sisters, I wonder how things might have turned out. She wrote me a letter to read someday, and I think you got one too. . . and she told me how life would have sucked if I lived with her, but considering my past, that seems inviting.  
  
I do wanna know what you look like, and what your like, so maybe if I get in contact with the other two, we could all meet somewhere and stuff.  
  
April  
  
She left the return address and a phone number that I could call to talk to her. I dropped the letter and ran over to my desk and rummaged through drawers for a notebook and pen. Finally, there was something to focus on. My sisters. My real family.  
  
April-  
  
I just recieved your letter, and I'm near tears. I'm June, your older sister.  
  
I did just learn about my true parentage, and I didn't take it very well. I'm sure you didn't either. I cried for hours just thinking and thinking about it, and recently, I did something very stupid, which I'll tell you about some other time.  
  
My mother, our mother, wrote me a letter to, and she told me never to find her and never know her identity. I don't understand why she wouldn't want her four children to live with her; start a life with her! But I did find out some information that you might not know. She was very poor; she depended on the salvation army alot. Her boyfriends was an abuser to everything imaginable, in the drug and alcohol world, and the youngest was born before she was 15. She was kicked out of the house, and she and her boyfriend moved into an apartment.  
  
That's basically all I know. I hope that someday we will meet, and I can't wait for the day that we do.  
  
June.  
  
I left my name, address and phone number and signed with X's and O's. I had hardly known this girl, and I was already sending my love. I pulled out an envelope from a drawer in my desk and adressed it to April Sanders. Later on, I would drop it in my mailbox and hope that it got there safely.  
  
I had a renewed hope; something that put the light in my days, the spring in my step. I put my troubled days behind me and started on a new page, anxiously waiting for a call, a letter from my younger sister. And finally, after a week or so, she finally wrote back.  
  
June-  
  
I got your letter, and I'm very excited. Within the next few weeks, I could meet my true sisters.  
  
I'm here sitting alone, and I keep thinking about stuff that could have been, and it's quite depressing. I keep thinking about you, and what you look like, and what my other sisters look like, and it's all just jumbled in my mind.  
  
I haven't gotten word from the others yet; I keep waiting, but I don't know if they ever want to talk to me. Maybe I should just send pages and pages of letters and then maybe they will write back and tell me to shut the hell up.  
  
How have things been over on your side of the town? Things are just dandy here; I've been kicked out for about 2 weeks now, living in a hotel with my boyfriend until we get things settled. Just think, he dropped out of college to be with me! After I found out about. . . well, he came down here to stay with me until I was stable enough to be on my own, but now he wants to be with me forever. Gotta love him.  
  
Actually, now that I think about it, I think I really messed up this time. I mean, sure, I've messed up before in life, but that wasn't as bad as it is now. I never really told you how I got kicked out; I got into a bad argument with my parents. I was mad at them; they had kept that from me for 17 years! I'm a really cocky and sarcastic person, and I talk back, alot to my parents, and it just got out of hand. So they dumped me. Like some piece of trash. Of course, I wanted to go. I couldn't stand living with a drill seargant and a movie star! But now I know that I was better off living with them.  
  
I'm not going to dwell anymore. Jeff, my boyfriend just walked into the door and he wants to take me out to dinner. Please, write me back, because the mailman is annoyed that I sleep by the mailbox.  
  
April  
  
I laughed at her last comment, and I put the letter back into the envelope and put it in a box that I kept all of my special letters.  
  
Suddenly, I heard a scream from the backyard and my heart lurched into my throat. It was Brian. I ran into the backyard and looked around. He was gone! I checked the treehouse, his ground-fort, and the large one-achre of land that we owned. There was one place I hadn't checked.  
  
The pool. 


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
I ran into the backyard, running, screaming for Mommy and Dad.  
  
"Mom! Dad! Come quick!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, running as fast as I could over to the pool. The water had been disturbed, and I couldn't see Brian at all. Dear God, where was he?!  
  
Mommy and Daddy finally came running out of the house.  
  
"June . . . what's going on?" Daddy asked so calmly, I thought that this was all a dream.  
  
"Brian! He. . . " I pointed to the pool, and there he was, lying face up, his eyes staring at the sky, his arms spread wide. I screamed and ran to the side of the pool and grabbed his thick wrist and pulled him over to me.  
  
"Brian, wake up," I whispered, dragging him onto the pool deck. Dad and Mom ran to my side. I tried to lay him vertically, but there was something on his ankle. A rope. My heart jumped into my throat and I felt sick to my stomach.  
  
There was a rope swing attached to a branch on the old great oak tree that stood in the backyard. Daddy took it off of Brian's ankle and started to perform CPR, and Mommy stroked his precious head of hair. I pulled out my phone, which I had conveniently and called an ambulance. They were here 5 minutes. Brian coughed and we all expected that he would become conscious, but his breathing stopped again, and the paramedics took over in the ambulance. Mommy and Daddy rode along, and I followed in my car.  
  
Once they had arrived, they rushed him into the ER and we had to wait in the hallway, waiting for the doctor's words. I kept replaying the whole scene over and over in my head, seeing his blue face in the water, the rope tied around his ankle. All that I could think of was that this was all of my fault. If I could have watched him, played with him, it could have been prevented. It all could have been stopped!  
  
As if Mom could read my thoughts, she rubbed my shoulder. "It wasn't your fault June. It's all of my fault. I let him play around the pool unsupervised with his toys and his boats, and that damned rope swing. . . "  
  
"Don't go putting the blame on yourselves," Daddy snapped. "We all thought that he was smart enough not to play on the swing, or near the pool at all. Last I saw, he was in the field, playing with his toys." I shook my head and buried my face in my hands and trembled. Mommy rubbed my shoulders, and Daddy paced outside of Brian's room.  
  
It seemed like almost an hour before the door opened and the doctor looked up. We all looked up in unison, hoping that he was not the bearer of bad news. His footsteps thundered in my ears; all of the commotion around us stopped. He stopped in front us, sighed, and placed his hands behind his back.  
  
"Yes?" Dad asked impatiently.  
  
"We did all that we could. I'm sorry. He had weak lungs," The doctor said. Daddy's knees folded and he was on the ground, sobbing hysterically.  
  
When Brian was born, he was a few weeks premature and he was on life support for the first three months. The doctors recommended that he shouldn't swim much and not hurt himself too much.  
  
I couldn't contain my tears either. It seemed now all of my days were full of crying and tears. All the pain I had felt were the tears that had spilled from my eyes. I ran over to Dad; Father or not, and hugged him so tightly and cried with him.  
  
Brian was gone. He was never to return. The little brother that I had cherished, enjoyed being around, was gone. And he wasn't even my biological brother! I sobbed also because of that; Mommy and Dad didn't have any children now at all.  
  
Finally, what seemed like hours of crying and holding and hugging, we left the hospital and ventured home.  
  
I ran up to my room immediately; I wanted to write in my journal and write to April. I picked up the notebook first, and wrote April a very lengthy letter.  
  
April-  
  
I feel absolutely horrible. I was about to write you, and then something awful happened. It occurred so quickly, I'm still in shock.  
  
Brian was outside playing in the backyard, and I was up in my room, and I heard him scream, so I ran down to the backyard, and there he was, in the pool, drowned!  
  
Tears formed in my eyes, and I tried not to ruin the page, so I looked away as tears dripped down my cheeks.  
  
We took him to the hospital and they tried to save him, but his lungs were too weak, and he had drowned. We have a rope swing in the backyard, and he played on it, and his ankle got caught and he couldn't get out.  
  
We just arrived home from the hospital. I don't know what my parents are doing right now, but I know that I'm still crying. He wasn't even my real brother, but I loved him so much April. I don't know what to do!  
  
It seems my life is going down the drain. Finding out about my adoption, my dark ways for a day, and now Brian. April, I don't know what to do! I need to get away, far away from here and forget my troubles, if it were only that easy.  
  
I signed the letter and threw the notebook down angrily and sobbed into my pillow for a few minutes, then recorded the horrible day down in my journal.  
  
Afterwards, I changed into my pajamas and stayed in bed all day, glimpsing at our family portrait that sat on my dresser. It seemed to be the most valuable thing at the time. Not my car, my jewelry, or my education mattered as much as my family did.  
  
I grabbed the frame and held in close to me, stroking Brian's gold hair, smiling back at him. I remembered the day that the portrait was taken.  
  
We had arrived slightly late, and the photographer was mad. We had to pick up Brian from school, and his teacher had held him back a few minutes after the bell. We were all wearing blue college sweaters with a white polo shirt underneath. I had my hair cut that day and it fell on my shoulders neatly. We all pasted smiles on our faces, and he took a few good frames. Brian kept making funny faces at the photographer, and that's why my smile looked so wide.  
  
Tears flooded over my eyes just thinking about it. I never would have a happy moment, ever again, without Brian. We were a family, torn apart, and inside, it felt like it had been like this for years. I had no biological mother or father, and the parents that I had . . . of course I loved them to death, but thinking about what they had kept at me still boiled inside of me. How they kept that secret so long, it was beyond me.  
  
I needed to get away, I thought, sitting up and reaching for the letter. I stuffed it into an envelope and licked it shut, then ran downstairs to mail it. I wanted her advice as soon as possible, and I wanted to know what she thought.  
  
My life was now dependent on other people. I wasn't stable enough to handle it myself, and so I burden other people with it. I wanted to confide in someone, and tell them all of my fears and how I felt, and all of that, but nobody would even look at me. Andrew sure wasn't going to after what had happened, and I couldn't count on Cassie and Lilly, therefore I had no one to go to. I could go to my parents, I thought for a moment, then shook my head. They would just tell me that I'm being too dramatic, and things weren't as bad as they seemed.  
  
My father had once told me, "If you didn't find happiness in your own backyard, you haven't found happiness ever." I had happiness. I was living the life that some of my schoolmates dreamed about, and it was slowly slipping down the drain. Now, my backyard was ruined; Brian was dead, I gave myself away to a boy I really didn't even care that much, and I had made friends with two scoundrels.  
  
My heart literally ached. I wanted to heal all the damaged my heart had suffered, but I realized the wounds were too deep to ever be refilled; even if I got older and forgot about my horrid past, there would still be the scars.  
  
Funeral arrangements were made for Brian immediately when Daddy returned home. They were set for next week, and Mom's job was to call relatives and friends and tell them the news. I could hear their screams all the way from upstairs. Screams of terror, anger, disappointment, and every time I heard that, I cringed inside. I had known all along that it was my fault for Brian's tragic death, and no matter how hard I tried to forget that, it would still linger in my mind.  
  
A few days after, family and friends started to arrived before the actual funeral. Mother made me stand by the front door and greet whoever entered, which was painful to see the pain in their own eyes. My Aunt Elizabeth and my Uncle George came along to stay with us, along with the children Mary, who was 10, and Lee, who was 20. They stayed in the guest room next to mine, and Mary was always coming inside of my room looking for someone to play with.  
  
"Not now Mary, I'm not feeling well," I told her, and Lee walked into the room. Lee was 6 feet tall and had platinum blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes.  
  
"Go on Mary, you heard her," he barked, and she scampered out of the room to go find Aunt Elizabeth.  
  
"Thank you," I whispered to him and he smiled warmly.  
  
"I live with her, I know what its like," he muttered, sitting on the edge of my bed. I was sitting at my desk, fiddling with old letters that April was writing to me. I was expecting her letter any day now. "Are you OK, June?"  
  
I shrugged. "I guess. Things haven't really been on the upside for me lately."  
  
"I know, Brian's death is pretty devastating." I scoffed. If only he knew what else was wrong, I thought. At that moment, I was debating whether or not to tell him that I was truly adopted. I wondered about it for a moment, and then Mom knocked on my door.  
  
"You have a letter from April," she announced and handed it to me. I squealed with delight and ripped it open.   
  
"Who's April?" Lee asked, peering over my shoulder.  
  
"She's my si-My best friend," I lied. "She moved away from here and she writes to me often," I added. I thought that it was better that Lee and the whole family didn't know about my adoption. Some things were better kept secret. I unfolded the letter open, and started to read. Lee had left and shut the door behind him. I couldn't stop the tears of happiness that gushed out of my eyes.  
  
June-  
  
That's so horrible. I really am sorry. I wish I could have gotten to know your brother; he sounded really fun and cool. Strange the way he passed though. . .  
  
I know things are going down in a ditch in your life, but I want to warn you to not do something stupid to try and fix things. It could only make things worse, and then what would you do? Yes, I'm talking about suicide, and I really don't want you to that point, because I know people that have considered it, and have ruined their lives. And besides, its a very selfish thing to do, and you're not a very selfish person.  
  
But, alas, I have some good news to tell you. Jeff and I just bought a 5 bedroom house in town, and it's really neat. Me and Jeff plan on using all of those rooms, if you get what I mean. But honestly, if you really are stuck and you don't know what to do, come and live with me. I really could use another girl in the house, and it might be fun. Maybe one day, all four of us could live together.  
  
I'm sure you are wondering how we got the money to buy a 5 bedroom house. Jeff revoked his college money; he had it all paid off too, and so we had some money to spend. Of course, his parents flipped, but I know a few people, and Jeff is going to go to the community college where things are way cheaper there.  
  
It would be so fun for you to come and live with me. You could start a fresh page, and soon, all 4 of us will be together, and everything will be happy; no sadness. AT ALL! I want you to consider my offer, and please, let me know about it. I really want to help you out, and if this is the way I can do it, then so be it!  
  
With all of my love,  
  
April  
  
I suppressed a sob. She wanted me to come and live with her? I would leave in a heartbeat! I had so wanted to meet her in person, and living with her would be fantastic! I ran out of my room, tears flying behind me and flew downstairs, looking for my parents; Daddy preferably.  
  
"Daddy!" I yelled, running into his office. He was sitting down at his desk, looking over some papers, as usual. He looked up, and I shuddered.  
  
Now Brian's death was very apparent. He had bags under his eyes, it seemed that he had aged completely. I felt horrible to bring this upon him, but I had to break it to him.  
  
"What is it June?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbow. I saw Lee walk by, and I saw the question on his face, and I shut the two French doors that enclosed Daddy in his office.  
  
"I have something to ask you and to tell you," I started, and sat down in one of his leather chairs.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"First, I was curious if I should tell Brian about. . . " I was trying to find the right word to explain it, but Dady interjected.  
  
"The adoption."  
  
I nodded. "I haven't told him, yet, unless you don't want me to. I thought it would better for the family if I didn't, especially now at this time," I said softly, biting on my lip. He sighed heavily.  
  
"I think that maybe it is time to let the skeletons out of my closet. Some do know about it, but I have sworn them to secrecy, and they haven't spoken a word. My sister and her husband do not know about it, and maybe it is time to tell them," he concluded. I nodded, deciding that it was a wise choice. "What was the other thing?" That's when my heart started to race.  
  
"Daddy, I just got a letter from my sister." I held it up for him to see. He nodded. "She just bought a five bedroom house, and she has invited me to live with her until I leave for Massachusetts." There was a pregnant pause in the air, and I thought my heart was thumping as fast as it could. Finally Daddy stood up.  
  
"If you would like to go, then you may go. I can't hold onto you forever; I should have realized that the day we came home with you. I really just want the best for you June, and I love you so much." Tears bubbled in my eyes.  
  
"What about Mother?" I whispered. He walked over and touched my shoulder.  
  
"We need to talk to her. Actually, we need to have a talk with everyone in the house. I'll bring everyone downstairs in the den," he announced. He almost sounded excited about it. We hadn't had a family meeting in ages. I nodded and went into my room for a brief moment, brushed my hair, and picked up a notebook to write April. I jotted a quick letter to her, and then went downstairs to the den.  
  
Everyone was seated on the couch, even Lee! Mary was not there, because she was too young to understand.  
  
"What's this all about?" Lee asked, folding his arms across my chest. Mom looked confused, and Dad stood in the corner and nodded at me.  
  
"I have something to tell you, Aunt Liz, Uncle George, Lee." I took a long breath. "I am, adopted." I couldn't find a better way to put it, so I just blurted it out. Liz looked confused, Uncle George blinked, and Lee looked absolutely shocked.  
  
"Annie. . . ?" Aunt Elizabeth looked at my Mom, who just nodded. Aunt Elizabeth shook her head.   
  
"I'm sorry," I sputtered. That was all that I could manage to say.  
  
"What? Why?" Lee asked. "How long have you know?"  
  
"For a while now," I muttered. He just shook his head.  
  
"But I think I have better news for you all," I said excitedly. "My real sister April-" Lee's head perked up. "Has invited me to live with her and her . . . husband." I'm sure my parents would be shocked to hear that she was married, but if I told them that she lived with her boyfriend, they wouldn't let me go. I looked over at Mom, who paled. I was waiting for her reaction all along.  
  
"You are going to let her live with her sister? Alone?" Aunt Elizabeth cried.  
  
"With my 3 other sisters," I said, and her eyes widened.  
  
"Oh goodness. Annie?" My Aunt repeated. She stood up and walked over to me.  
  
"If you need to go, you may go. But always know that this is your home," she said so faintly, I almost couldn't hear her. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her so tightly.  
  
"Thank you, thank you," I whispered in her ear, and she patted my shoulders.  
  
"Well, I think we're done here," Dad said, walking into the middle of the room. I nodded and ran up to my room to send the letter and wait for her next letter. Lee came into my room and sat down.  
  
"I don't understand. Are you really adopted?"  
  
"Of course! I wouldn't lie about that," I snapped and turned my back away from him. He walked over to me and placed his hands on my shoulders.  
  
"Well, I guess it could be a good thing and a bad thing. You're not part of our family, biologically, but," he leaned in closer to whisper in my ear, his lips brushing against my cheek. "I always thought that you were cute." I ripped away from him and pointed to the door.  
  
"Get out. Get out or I'll call my father up here and tell him what you said," I whispered ferociously. He grinned sarcastically and left the room.  
  
I was a part of this family, I thought, blood related or not.  
  
The funeral day arrived quickly, and everyone in the whole town practically gathered in the big Catholic church downtown. Everyone arrived; even Andrew, Lilly and Cassandra were there. I looked over at them, but didn't bother talking to them. I wanted nothing more to do with them, especially Andrew. I sat in the front with my family and waited for the priest to start.  
  
Many people that had arrived at the event went up to the pew and said something very nice about Brian. It brought a new set of tears to my eyes to hear these people sharing their great events with my little brother. Some of his friends started wailing during the middle of the service, and nobody was angry, because, I thought, if they were a child, they would have done the same thing.  
  
After everyone said their words, we all walked up to the coffin my brother was in, and placed a rose on it. I knew that he wouldn't like the roses, but he didn't understand the whole point of it. When it was my turn to lay down my rose, I leaned over to the top, and whispered, "The planes are really big there." I kissed the top of the coffin and walked away. I could feel Andrew's eyes glued to me, but I willed myself not to look at him.  
  
The minister closed the service quickly with the Lord's prayer, and we were dismissed. I wanted to get out of the church, because I didn't want to talk to the guests, and I certainly didn't want to talk to Andrew. But Mom forced me to say at least hello to some of the guests, and Andrew had caught me completely off-guard.  
  
"Can we talk?" He asked softly. He had on a gray button up shirt, and black pants. He looked more handsome than ever, but I would never let him know that.  
  
"Sure," I said shakily, and pulled him into the shadows of the sanctuary were nobody was to be seen.  
  
"I've been thinking about you a lot," Andrew announced, and I leaned against the wall and fiddled with my hair. "I know you've been thinking of me."  
  
"They weren't the best of my thoughts," I muttered, and that gave him a slight smile.  
  
"I want you to know that I am really sorry about what happened between us. I really didn't want it to happen that way, but the way you passed yourself off. . ." Tears clouded my eyes, and I looked away.  
  
"I know. I didn't want it to happen that way. It was my first time," I admitted. He nodded.  
  
"I want to start this over again . . . us. I really have changed. After what happened, I really want to be with you." I shivered, then sniffled. I did love him! I really did! I wanted nothing more to love him and be with him, but something was telling me not to. I shook my head and cried on his shoulder.  
  
"Oh Andrew, why does it have to be like this?" I moaned. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. It was the best kiss that I had ever received in my entire being with Andrew. We leaned up against the wall and he put his arms around me and really kissed me.  
  
I wanted to be with him, this is man that I wanted! My brain screamed at me and told me this over and over, but my heart said to wait on it. I ran my fingers through his dark hair and he started to kiss my neck over and over again, and it all felt so wonderful.  
  
"Andrew," I whispered, and he looked up. "I'm moving in with my sister." He looked confused, and I quickly told him that I was adopted. Somehow, he had already found out.  
  
"Is it far?" He asked. I shook my head.  
  
"Not at all. Andrew, I really love you," I whispered in his ear and clung onto him so tightly, I thought he would tell me to stop. But he held me just as long.  
  
"I really don't want to do this, but something is telling me that I should. I really need to think about this Andrew. I need to call you later." I kissed him and walk away from him quickly so that I could leave.  
  
When we had arrived home, there was a letter in the mail for me, from April of course. I tore it open and read it. She said that she was just fine with my decision and that she would give more details later. I changed into my pajamas and started to rummage through my things. I kept what I wanted to keep, and what I didn't want, I put it in a box and put it in storage.  
  
Almost at nine o clock, my phone rang. I hadn't talked to anyone in a while, so I thought it might have been Andrew.  
  
"Hello?" I asked. Just by the pause I could tell it was definitely not Andrew.  
  
"June?" A girl voice asked. I gasped.  
  
"April?"  
  
"Yes, It's me." Tears clouded my eyes.  
  
"Oh my goodness. April," I started to cry over the phone and she laughed slightly.  
  
"I called, finally. I wanted to talk to you about moving a such," she said.  
  
"Oh, OK," I sniffled and sat up.  
  
"When did you plan on coming?"  
  
"Sometime next week. I need to get my stuff out of here and into boxes."  
  
"You do have the address, right?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah, it's on the envelopes."  
  
"It is OK with your parents, right?" She questioned cautiously.   
  
"Yes, definitely. April, I'm really excited. I can't wait to see you."  
  
"I know, and I can't wait either. I have to go now. I'm glad that I could talk to you."  
  
"Bye," I said and hung up. It was so good to talk to her. I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to call her and talk to her again. I picked up the phone again and called Andrew. He was happy to hear that I was moving, and he wanted to come over. I asked my parents it was too late, and they said it was OK. Within five minutes, he was already here.  
  
"Hi," he said. I made sure that my parents were not there, and I ran upstairs into my room.  
  
"Moving already?" I nodded.  
  
"I'm moving in with them next week. Here's the address." I handed him the envelope, and he smiled.  
  
"It really isn't that far."  
  
"You'll be able to come and see me," I cried and ran over to him, throwing my arms around him.  
  
"We really need to talk," he said, and just hearing it made my heart race.  
  
"OK." I sat down on the bed, and he sat next to me.  
  
"I really don't want to have a repeat of what happened the last time I was up here. I really, really like you June. I wanna be with you the rest of my life. I'm just afraid for the future. Will you ever be able to put what happened behind us?" I chewed on my lip. Just remembering it made me shiver, and I looked at him.  
  
"Of course, it will resurface one day, but I am able to forget about it," I whispered.  
  
"I really don't want to regret this . . . at all," he said and leaned over and kissed me. "Let's start over new. Pretend it never happened," He whispered and I nodded in agreement.  
  
We made love, real love, for the first time, and it was a much better experience. I really felt that he loved me, and he was proving it to me. Afterward, we got under the covers and rested.  
  
"It's getting late, and I want to do some more packing tonight," I murmured. He sat up and reached for his clothes.  
  
"I will call you when I get to the house. I promise." I kissed him, and he let himself out. I put on a nightgown and curled up in my bed and fell asleep to one of the better nights that I had.  
  
The next day, I practically had packed all of my room. Mom was wondering if I was rushing things, but I told her how badly I wanted to go.  
  
"Mom, this is a great opportunity. I've been waiting for this for a while, and now it's just my time to go." She nodded her head and walked away without another word. April called again to check on me.  
  
"Yeah, I'm almost packed," I said and she gasped.  
  
"Damn, eager are we?" She asked and I laughed.  
  
"Just a little. I really need to get out of here and breathe."  
  
After that phone conversation, I finished the last of my packing, and called her to let her know that I would be there tomorrow.  
  
"Holy cow! This place is a mess! I have to clean up. Thanks for short notice kid!" She yelled into the phone. I laughed.  
  
"I'm sorry. I'll see you tomorrow, OK?"  
  
"Sure. Can't wait." She hung up, and I crawled into my bed for the last time in this house.  
  
My dream was very strange that night. The first was that I was sitting in my living room, and the room suddenly goes black. There's a spotlight shining on me, and Daddy and Mom walked up to me.  
  
"Is this the right thing to do? Desert us after Brian's death?" Daddy asked, his voice suddenly echoing.  
  
"To leave us to grow old and die alone?" Mom asked. I started to cry.  
  
"No, please, that's not what my intentions are," I cried.  
  
"Sure," They sang, and I sobbed even louder.  
  
I woke up suddenly, sweating bullets on my forehead. I didn't want them to feel like that. I wanted them to feel happy for me and my sister. I looked around the room which was now empty, and I thought that this would be the last time that I would ever be in here. I loved living here; I lived here all of my life, and now I was leaving it.  
  
I thought of all the fond memories I had in my life in this room, and it made me feel at ease. My heart stopped racing, I cooled down, and I flopped back on my pillows and thanked the house for giving me this life. 


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
The next morning came quickly, too quickly, I thought as I packed up my car. I had barely a bite to eat for breakfast because I was so nervous. Dad and Lee helped me pack up my car in the morning, and Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle George were leaving that day. I helped them load their things into the car and they were off to the airport. I was left here to call April and get directions.  
  
"OK, that's how you get here. Hope you wrote it down."  
  
"I did. Is the house clean?"  
  
"No, I asked the neighbor for dog poop and I flung it around the house last night. I was crazy," she said sarcastically, and I laughed.  
  
"Well, then I better go. I'll see you in a few, OK?"  
  
"OK, drive safe," she said and hung up. I sighed nervously, gathered my purse and went downstairs. Mom and Dad were in the living room, watching TV.  
  
"Mommy, Daddy?" I asked. They both looked up at me.  
  
"Are you leaving now?" Mom asked, and I nodded. We walked into the garage and said our final goodbyes.  
  
"I love you very much. Please come by and see us before you leave for Boston," Mom whispered in my ear. I pulled away and saw that there were tears in her eyes. I could tell that she loved me; she treated me like I was her own child. I hugged Daddy and he told me to be safe.  
  
"We love you very much June. We hope that we didn't hurt you ever, and I hope you lived the life you always wanted." I sniffled.  
  
"Oh, I didn't want to cry today," I whispered, wiping my eyes. "I had a great life. I loved it. I was very happy with it. But sometimes you just need to leave, you know?" I asked. "I need to have a vacation of sort, you know?" They both nodded.  
  
"I better go. I love you both very much, and I will call you when I get settled in and such. Good-bye," I said, and opened he car door. Dad put his arm around Mom's shoulders and she sighed, brushing tears away. I got into my car and started to ease of out the driveway, glancing in my rear view mirror to see them. They waved and they went back into the house.  
  
It took about 10 minutes to get to April's house, and I was so excited I couldn't contain myself. I pulled up in the driveway, got out of the car, and knocked on the door, waiting for someone to answer. Finally, the door opened, and a tall handsome boy answered it.  
  
"Hi. I'm guessing you must be June," he said. "I'm Jeff. April went to the store real quick. She'll be right back," he explained as I walked into the house. It was a great house, with a large living room and well constructed kitchen. I dropped my purse down and waited on the couch for April to arrive.  
  
"She's really excited. I don't think I've ever seen her this excited. I could show you your room," Jeff said. I stood up and followed him upstairs where he showed me the room I was going to have.  
  
It was very spacious with a window that was propped open. "Like it?" I nodded and decided to go back downstairs to wait for April to walk into the house.  
  
Finally after a few minutes, the door flew open, and April had groceries in her hand. She looked around the room, saw me, and dropped everything and ran over to me, hugging me so tightly.  
  
At that moment, I realized that I was finally happy. 


End file.
